What the Dead Know: A Jake and Ness AH Thriller
by DazzledbyJake
Summary: Ness Cullen is in college visiting Charlie on Spring Break when she meets her mother's HS friend Jacob Black. Events that follow thrust her into a world of danger, mystery, & ultimate tragedy as she & Jacob race to unearth secrets of the past. ALL HUMAN
1. Chapter 1: It Happened One Night

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW  
**

A Jake and Ness All Human Thriller

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**Preface:** Renesmee Cullen is a typical junior in college visiting her grandfather Charlie Swan on Spring Break. At a Forks diner one night, she meets her mother's high school friend Jacob Black, owner of a local garage and the new Chief of the Quileute tribe. The events that follow soon thrust her into a world of the unknown—a world of danger, mystery, and ultimate tragedy as she and Jacob race to unearth secrets of the past before it's too late.

******THIS FAN FIC IS RATED M (Mature) - May contain coarse language, sexual content, violence toward women, and other scenes of violence. ******

_Disclaimer: All Twilight characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Just to be clear, Jacob is NOT the villain in this story._

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_"I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?_

_Hearken! And observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story…"_

_~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart"_

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**Prologue**

The light from the flames licked around the face of the enemy, her pale blue eyes boring into me like a dagger into the very heart of innocence. I knew this was the last time, the last chance to breathe, before my time on this earth would be said and done. Everything we had worked for, every action over the past few weeks, had led to this very moment. As she raised the gun steadily in the air, I braced myself, gladly welcoming death, for my spirit would soon join the man I loved in eternity. I heard her finger lightly squeeze the trigger, and felt my heart gloomily beat its last…

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**Chapter 1: It Happened One Night**

**Renesmee's POV**

I sat at the small, round table, absently twirling my straw in my soda. I stared blankly down at the book wedged in my right hand. I couldn't make my brown eyes absorb the words, for my mind was elsewhere. The scent of coffee and bacon saturated the air around me, reminding me of home. Taking a deep breath, I memorized the fragrance and let memories of the past sweep me away.

I remembered my mother, Bella, her long, flowing locks glistening in the sun complimented by her kind smile. My father, Edward, was by her side, planting gentle kisses on her neck, filling my heart with everlasting joy…

I noisily shut my book, slamming it down on the surface of the diner table. The waitress at the counter looked up briefly from her cleaning, her worried eyes meeting my own. I glanced down and blinked away the tears. My father and mother had been killed by a drunk driver while I was still in high school. A flash of my grandfather Charlie's, sad eyes entered my brain for a fleeting second, then quickly dissipated. Charlie had become a second father to me over the past few years since my parents died. My rock, my strength. To me, spending time with him during my Spring Break was better than a thousand days elsewhere. When I was with Charlie, I was home.

He was the one who encouraged me to apply to college and try to make something of myself when I graduated high school. With the loss of my parents at such a young age, you can only imagine how lost I felt. Two of the most prominent people in my life were stripped away from me in a split second. I felt robbed. I even cried out to God to take me away as well. I cursed the very air I breathed because my parents weren't able to anymore. My heart ached each time I saw a picture of my mother, or heard a classical tune I thought my father would adore. The absence of their presence was everywhere I turned.

My father's parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen, moved to Denali, Alaska, shortly after the accident, but we kept in close contact through phone calls and emails. I missed them dearly, especially my grandmother, Esme. I had overheard her lament to Charlie once that I reminded her too much of my father, and the pain was just too overbearing for her to handle living in Forks any longer. Besides my grandmother Renee and my step-grandfather Phil, who also lived out of state in Jacksonville, Florida, Charlie was the only one there willing to help me pick up the broken pieces of my shattered life.

He suffered, too, though he would never let it show. He missed my mother, his only daughter, more than the desert missed the rain. Sometimes I would even catch him in my mother's old room upstairs, pacing back and forth, fingering the little trinkets and belongings still left from her high school days. I just let him be, and he showed me the same kindness. Memories are all we have of those that we've lost. Why should we ever want to forget?

After being accepted into the University of Washington at Seattle, I decided to major in English. I always fancied myself a good writer, and had a love affair with books. They were an escape from the world, a world in which I didn't have to face the reality of my parents' death. It was comforting to know that just with the turn of a page, I could be swept away from all of the madness that had become my life.

Now here I was, twenty-one years old, sitting in a nearly-vacant diner on a Saturday night in Forks, with my nose in a book, sipping on a diet soda. I was never a socialite or one to stay out until all hours of the night. The local kids were probably out partying or cliff diving down at the beach in La Push. They kept Charlie quite busy on nights like tonight; he was the chief of the Forks Police Department, after all.

The dinging of the bells at the diner's entrance suddenly made me look up from my closed book.

"Evening, Sarah. How's life been treating you?" A tall man with russet-colored skin donned in a leather jacket called as he entered the diner, carrying a black motorcycle helmet.

My brown eyes trailed after him as he took a seat at the counter.

"Pretty fair, I guess, Jacob. You having the usual?" Sarah, the waitress behind the counter, walked up to meet him, leaning against the opposite side of the bar.

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, setting down his motorcycle helmet on the empty seat next to him.

Sarah placed a coffee cup and saucer on the counter in front of him and filled it to the rim. I picked up my book and pretended to read as I watched the intriguing, yet handsome, man who now commanded my full attention. He was a native, judging from his gorgeous tanned skin, possibly from the La Push reservation.

"Thanks." Jacob unzipped his leather jacket and slid it down his shoulders, revealing a light blue t-shirt. The fabric hugged his back and arms in a way that accentuated his already well-defined muscles. I had to remind myself to breathe as my eyes took in every inch of his form.

"How's Billy doing?" Sarah's voice roused me from my thoughts.

"Pretty good. He's recovering quite nicely from that last stroke," Jacob replied, lifting a container of creamer and emptying some of the contents into his coffee.

"That's wonderful news. I was worried about him." The waitress grabbed her washcloth and returned to her cleaning as she spoke, her salt and pepper hair dancing about her shoulders.

"Thanks. Dad's a stubborn old man; he doesn't let anything faze him." He chuckled, taking a generous sip from his yellow cup. "At least he let me take him to the hospital this time."

"Jacob, your father has been that way as long as I've known him, before you were even born," Sarah added to the derision, spraying the empty table to my left with cleaner from her bottle.

"Sure, sure." Jacob glanced at her and then at me. His eyes locked into mine, his eyebrows furrowing.

My heart stopped for a brief moment, and then began to pound like a hammer in my chest. His eyes were the deepest chocolate brown I had ever seen.

"Um…" He looked away as if he'd seen a ghost. "Y-you're not even old enough to be my sister, Sarah."

"Jacob Black, you flatter me too much." Sarah held up a dismissive hand and went back to scrubbing her table.

_Jacob Black. _I knew that name. It was the name of my mother's high school friend, the one she used to call her 'personal sun.' That name also belonged to the owner of Black's Garage and Repair in La Push…the very man who was the new Chief of the Quileute tribe. Charlie was good friends with Jacob's father, Billy, and doted on him quite often.

"Excuse me, miss." Jacob was now standing beside my table, coffee cup in hand. I had been so dazed, I didn't even notice that he had left his seat at the counter.

"Y-yes," was all I could manage to utter. I could now smell his glorious, woodsy scent, masculine with a hint of musk. It was incredible.

"Are you by any chance Charlie Swan's granddaughter? Nessie Cullen?" he asked, sweeping his free hand casually through his jet black hair.

"Ness," I corrected him, looking back down at my soda. No one had called me Nessie in years, not since the unthinkable happened.

"Okay, then, _Ness__._ I'm Jacob Black." He lifted his coffee and swallowed a hearty mouthful. His eyes returned to me as he swallowed. "I knew your mother."

"Yes, she spoke of you often," I told him. My mother had always reminisced about her high school days with Jacob and my father. Anytime my mother brought up Jacob, my father would always become tense. I had to wonder if there was something else they didn't tell me about their relationship.

"Did she now? Mind if I join you?" Jacob questioned, pulling out the chair opposite me, and sat down.

"Be my guest." I placed my book back on the table in front of me.

"What are you reading there?" He pivoted the book so that he could read the title. "_The Complete Works of William Shakespeare_…your mother would be proud."

"Just some Spring Break reading…getting ready for mid-terms," I shyly added.

"Mid-terms? As in _college_ mid-terms? How old are you, Ness?" Jacob probed and finished the rest of his coffee in one last sip.

"I'm twenty-one." I raked my right hand through my bronze hair and tucked a few strands behind my ear.

"Ah, has it really been that long?" Jacob mused, appearing deep in thought. "I remember when you were born."

I could feel my cheeks reddening with the heat of embarrassment as his last words hung in the air. My mother had gotten pregnant right before she and my father graduated from Forks High. Their marriage, which Charlie affectionately had referred to as the notorious 'shotgun wedding,' soon followed, but nothing seemed to dishearten my parents. They were so much in love; they had been since the very start. Adjusting to married life well, they welcomed me almost seven months later. A fairytale ending indeed…only to be marred by tragedy sixteen years later.

I frowned, glancing up at my new friend.

"Ness, what's wrong?" Jacob placed his large right hand on top of mine, his face full of concern. "I'm sorry. I know it's got to be difficult for you still…it is for me, too. Bella was my best friend. Always will be."

"Mine, too." I fought back the tears, turning my palm upward to greet his. The warmth of his hand atop mine was exhilarating. It was a comforting warmth; no wonder my mother called him her 'sun.'

"You look so much like her…and Edward, too. It's starting to freak me out just a bit." Jacob heartily laughed, lightening the somber mood now hovering over us like a thick fog.

I couldn't help but smile back; the cadence of his laugh was infectious.

"Ah, so you do smile?" Jacob mirrored my grin, his brilliant white teeth emerging from beneath his lips. He ran his thumb gently back and forth over mine.

"When I want to, yes." I let my smile widen as I looked into his brown eyes.

I wracked my brain to determine how old he was. From what Charlie had told me, he was two years younger than my parents, so that meant he was about seventeen when I was born. He had to be no younger than thirty-eight.

"It just takes the right person, huh?" Jacob softly squeezed my hand, his pale pink lips forming into a pout. He was much older than me, but I couldn't help wonder what it would be like to feel those thick lips pressed against mine.

"Yeah…um, sorry." I swiftly took my hand away, cupped my palms around my soda glass, and sucked on the straw, even though the glass was empty.

I had a boyfriend back at school. What the hell was I thinking? Nahuel would be extremely ticked off if he knew I was flirting with someone not that much younger than my father.

"I should be the one who's sorry, Ness. I shouldn't have held your hand like that. You barely know me. It was rude of me," Jacob apologized, and I suddenly felt embarrassed all over again. He then glanced over his left shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall behind the counter. "Look, I have to get back to my dad. He's always home alone now that my sisters are both married."

He stood up to leave, pulled out his wallet, and threw a few dollars on the table to cover his tab.

"It was nice seeing you again, Nessie," he said, grabbing his leather jacket and helmet from the bar. "I've been meaning to come visit Charlie for some time now. Maybe I can take you out to lunch when I do."

"I'd like that." My heart thrilled at his words even though a part of me knew Nahuel wouldn't approve. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right? Besides, he was in South America visiting his father over Spring Break anyway.

"Excellent," he replied, flashing me that brilliant smile again. He threw on his leather jacket and placed the helmet securely over his ebony locks.

"See you soon." His voice was muted by the helmet. "Night, Sarah!"

"Night, Jacob! Tell Billy I've got some blueberry cobbler saved for him!" Sarah called after him, but he was already out the door.

Seconds later, I heard the loud revving of a motorcycle engine, and it soon faded as he sped out of the parking lot.

_Jacob Black__. What a nice guy,_ I thought.

Smiling, I picked up my book and cracked it open, feeling somewhat happier now that I had met Jacob. My mood abruptly faltered when I realized I had turned to _Romeo and Juliet_, one of my mother's favorite plays by Shakespeare. The somber mood had fatefully returned.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, Nessie?" I heard Sarah ask as I closed my book and laid it back on the table.

"No, thanks. I was just leaving." I reached for my canvas messenger bag at my feet and slid my large book into the main pocket.

"I can't believe how grown up you are." Sarah eyed me up and down almost adoringly, placing her hands on each of my shoulders as I stood up from the table. "The spitting image of your-"

"Here you go, Sarah. Thanks for the soda." I handed her a five dollar bill as payment for the drink plus a generous tip, pulling the strap of the messenger bag onto my right shoulder. She confusedly snatched back her arms.

As I bolted for the door, not wanting to hear for the hundredth time how much I resembled my mother, Sarah shouted, "Don't be a stranger now, ya hear?"

I stepped out into the darkness of the night, hugging my arms close to my chest. The air was quite chilly, but at least it wasn't raining. A clear night was a rarity in Forks.

Walking toward the back of the diner to my red Chevy pickup, a hand-me-down from mom, I heard a low scuffling of feet behind me. I froze. Someone had followed me from the diner.

"Hey, Nessie, is it?" A rough male voice spoke as I placed my hand on the driver's side door handle.

Deciding to play it safe, I ignored him and opened the door to my truck.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" he angrily boomed, gripping the back of my jean jacket, and flinging me up against the side of the truck. My messenger bag fell to the pavement, scattering the contents all around us, including my cell phone.

"What do you want?" I screamed at him, tears now staining my eyes. I could see through my tears that he also wore a jean jacket, but his was very old and worn. His long, dirty-blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"I have money in my bag and an iPod," I offered, panicking.

"_You_ are what I want…" He breathed onto my neck, clenching his fists around both of my arms at the elbows.

"Help m-" I screamed, but he muffled my cries with his palm, slamming my head back against the metal of the truck. I shrieked in pain, struggling beneath his arms, as he roughly ran his free hand underneath the fabric of my black skirt.

_Oh, God, he's going to rape me. _I felt my body stiffen when his fingers hooked onto the elastic band of my panties.

"Just relax, I'll take it nice…and slow." His hand excruciatingly pulled down my panties to my knees and turned me around so that my back was to him. His right hand still gripped me firmly by the mouth to keep me from calling out for help, while his other now proceeded to trail back up my skirt.

"Get the fuck off her!" A husky voice pierced the night air, and the coarse hands of my attacker left my body.

"And just what are you gonna do about it, Tonto?" I heard him reciprocate just before he went sailing to the pavement below.

I spun around, only to observe his limp body lying face down and motionless on the concrete beside the truck. Jacob Black stood beside him, holding his right fist in his opposite palm. He'd obviously punched my attacker and saved me from a night full of God only knows what.

"Nessie, are you okay?" He hurried up to me, cupping his injured hand around my left cheek. "Did he hurt you?"

"N-no," I stuttered through the sobs that came without warning. I hurriedly pulled up my panties that now hung at my knees. I was completely mortified, and heartbroken beyond repair.

Without saying another word, Jacob pulled me to him, encasing me with his burly arms. I locked my arms around his neck, weeping as the floodgates spilled wide open. I couldn't resist him, the sensation of his arms around me felt so congenial, so familiar.

"It's okay. You're safe now," he whispered into my ear, pressing his head affectionately on top of mine.

Just as he spoke those words, my attacker picked himself off the pavement and darted from the parking lot of the diner, holding his left shoulder in apparent pain. I returned my head to Jacob's warm shoulder, the sobs coming even faster now.

"Just needed to teach him a lesson. He won't hurt you ever again. I promise." Jacob sweetly kissed the top of my head, then let me go. I was left in a daze. What the hell had just happened? And where did Jacob come from? I had seen him speed away on his motorcycle not even five minutes ago.

"Ness…" I vaguely remembered Jacob's hand waving in front of me. "Hey, do you need me to take you home?"

I snapped out of my zombielike state, peering up at him through strained eyes. I figured my mascara was probably running in angry streaks down my cheeks.

"No, I think I'll be okay." Wiping my eyes, I bent down and started to frantically retrieve the items from my messenger bag. I couldn't think straight; my mind was becoming all hazy and cloudy. I even felt for a moment that I might pass out. Was I in shock?

"Ness." Jacob grabbed my hand to stop my frenetic movements. "We need to go to the police station and report that son of a bitch to Charlie so that he doesn't do this to other women."

"No, no cops." I started to panic again. My attacker would know where to find me if I reported him. What if he followed me home and waited until I was all alone again? What would I do then? Neither Jacob nor Charlie would be there to save me a second time. "And please don't tell Charlie about this."

"Ness, are you crazy?" Jacob exasperatedly said, helping me back to a standing position. "That man almost raped you!"

"But he didn't so…no harm done."

I reached down and snatched my messenger bag from the ground. I hopped into the cab of my truck and shut the door behind me. Desiring nothing more than to get the hell out of there, I patted the pockets of my jacket, but my keys were nowhere to be found.

"Looking for something?" Jacob's fingers dangled the keys tauntingly outside the driver's side window.

I sighed, leaned forward, and placed my forehead on the steering wheel. After a few seconds, I heard the tailgate of my truck being lowered, and then the entire truck shook as something was maneuvered into the bed. The tailgate then slammed shut, and I raised my head, only to see Jacob appear back beside my window.

"Open up. I'm driving you home," Jacob said, absolute firmness in his tone.

"Jacob…" I protested, but he opened the door anyway. "I think I'm more than capable of driving myself home."

"No, you're in shock. Now, scoot over," he ordered, forcing me over to the passenger side of the truck as he positioned himself in the driver's seat.

"Fine." I crossed my arms defiantly over my chest, sliding all the way to the opposite side of the seat. I could already feel the tenderness about my elbows. I secretly hoped my attacker hadn't left behind any visible evidence of what he had done. Charlie would question it. "But I'm not telling Charlie about this."

"Alright," Jacob said, jamming the key into the ignition and turning over the engine. "Let's just get you home…and safe."

As we sped off toward Charlie's house, I sat there, stewing from Jacob's unwavering resolve. Even though I knew my attacker could possibly return, I just wished my new friend had let me drive myself home and forget this whole mess. Still, another part of me was thrilled to have him near me once again. Giving into the latter, I sighed in ultimate relief, and leaned my head onto Jacob's inviting shoulder.

"Thank you," I spoke softly. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there."

"No problem. Glad to help." He tilted his head to the side, meeting mine. He then draped his warm right arm over my shoulders and pulled me closer to his chest.

I relaxed, feeling secure inside his soothing embrace, and inhaled his musky scent. That was the last thing I remembered before I surrendered and let the darkness of sleep consume me.

**Attn: This is my first attempt at an all human story, so let me know what you thought. This story is going to take some interesting turns in the next few chapters. Hope you will stay tuned. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Black Car

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 2: The Black Car**

Renesmee's POV

I woke that next morning in the security of my own bed, wondering if it had all been a dream; a figment of my imagination. I rose up and let the covers sink to my shoulders. Glancing down at my body, I realized I was still wearing the same clothes from the night before, except for my jean jacket, which had been draped over the bedpost at the foot of the bed. I glanced over the side of my bed, and noticed my navy ballet flats were positioned neatly on the lavender rug.

After driving me home to Charlie's house, Jacob Black must have brought my slumbering body up to my bedroom and placed me in my bed. I didn't remember anything after we pulled out of the diner parking lot in my truck. I had passed out from the shock of almost being…

I shuddered as the image of my attacker flickered in my mind's eye. It was, in fact, reality. I had almost been raped. If Jacob hadn't been there…

Forcing those thoughts from my brain, I tossed the covers to the side and placed my bare feet on the rug where my shoes lay. My arms ached around the elbows. I pulled up my sleeves to see several misshapen, purplish bruises now adorning my arms. I wondered how I would explain them to Charlie.

I also wondered if Charlie had been home when Jacob brought me to my room. Jacob probably had quite a bit of explaining to do, judging from the fact we had never met before last night and he had driven my truck home. I just hoped Jacob had kept his promise and didn't tell Charlie about the attack. Being the police chief, Charlie wouldn't rest until he found the man who did this to me. I just wanted to shut the whole night out of my memory and leave it in the past.

After showering and trying to scrub away any trace of my attacker until my skin turned red, I dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, v-neck t-shirt, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Charlie was seated at the small wooden table, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand, the latest edition of the_Forks Forum_ in his other.

"Morning, Ness," Charlie greeted me, his eyes never leaving his Sunday paper.

"Good morning, Charlie," I reciprocated, throwing my arms around his neck from behind and giving him a slight peck on the right cheek. He instantly perked up.

"Hey, what was that for?" He set his coffee mug down, grabbed my hand, and turned slightly in his chair. A tender smile formed under his thick mustache.

"Can't I show some affection towards my grandpa?" I laughed, taking a bowl from the cupboard and reaching for my favorite cereal on the top shelf.

"Yeah, um…" He awkwardly cleared his throat. "It's just, you haven't done that in awhile. It felt…_nice_."

He pretended to cough, returning to his paper. Charlie was so sweet when he wanted to be. He rarely ever wore his emotions on his sleeve, even though I knew he cared deeply for me. I wouldn't be where I was today if it hadn't been for him.

"Have an interesting night last night?" Charlie inquired as I opened the refrigerator to retrieve some milk for my cereal. I stiffened, feeling his questioning eyes on my back. What if Jacob had told him about what happened at the diner?

"N-no…" I stuttered, reaching for the milk and closing the door to the refrigerator. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, when I got home at two a.m., I peeped into your room to see if you were all right, and you were still wearing the clothes you had on when you left last night."

I sighed in relief. He obviously didn't know about Jacob bringing me home, or he would have mentioned it. However, I now had to come up with some lame excuse as to why I'd slept in my clothes.

"I was just exhausted when I got home. I didn't feel like undressing." I poured some milk into my bran cereal and then into a tall glass. My capability of lying was shot all to hell, but I hoped he would at least buy my little fib. It wasn't a complete lie anyway. The attack had completely wiped me out.

"Out at the diner again?" he asked knowingly, looking up at me from his coffee cup, and my heart fell in my chest again. I wondered if Sarah, the waitress from the Carver Diner, had called him at the station to tell him I'd left in such a hurry last night.

"Yeah, just studying for mid-terms." I sat down opposite him at the table with my cereal and cup of milk, eyeing him nervously.

"Ness," he paused, placing his left hand on top of mine from across the table, "it's Spring Break…go out, have fun, meet some new people. You shouldn't be cooped up at a diner on a Saturday night, or here at home with your ole grandpa."

"Charlie, why would I want to be out with other people my age when I have you here? I came home Friday to visit _you_ and just you." I smiled at him, dipping the spoon into my cereal and taking a mouthful.

"Ah. Well, as you can see, I'm a wealth of entertainment. I have to work every day that you're home," he regretfully spoke as he closed his paper and folded it neatly on the table in front of him.

"I don't mind. Any moment I get to spend with you is worth it." I wasn't lying. I craved his company more than anything. As I'd thought many times before, Charlie was very special to me. I would be ever grateful to him for taking care of me after my parents died.

"You're too good to me, Ness." Charlie peered at me with thoughtful eyes. I could almost detect the evidence of tears forming in them. "You've always been so _strong_…and caring. Just like your mother."

"Charlie," I ignored the comment about my mother and changed the subject, "you know Black's Garage and Repair in La Push?"

"Of course I do. You've heard me talk about the owner Jacob before, and I'm sure your mother did." Charlie appeared a little confused, possibly wondering why I'd abruptly steered the conversation in a different direction. "Why do you ask? Is the truck running all right?"

"Well, it has been giving me a little trouble lately," I purposefully lied, taking a sip of my milk. I just wanted to drive by the shop and see if Jacob was working. I wanted to thank him again in person for what he had done for me. I also couldn't quite shake the exhilarating feeling I had whenever I thought of him. "Is his garage open on Sundays?"

"I think so. Probably not till after noon, though. It's open every day of the week." Charlie sipped his coffee and wiped the tip of his mustache with the back of his left hand. "You want me to take it up to B & P's tomorrow and have Mike take a look at it? You won't have to drive as far."

"No, that's okay. I just thought since you're such good friends with Jacob's dad, he might give me a discount on whatever repairs I needed." I hated lying to Charlie, but I didn't want to explain why I desired to see Jacob or how we had met at the diner.

"Well, Mike's always been fair to me. Plus, we went to high school together, and I've known him longer than Billy. Look, Ness." He stood up from the table and straightened the shirt of his police uniform. "I have to get to the station, but if you want to take it to Jacob's garage, that's fine with me. I'm sure he'll be honest with you, given the fact that he knew your mother, and he knows I'd kill him if he took advantage of my granddaughter."

"Okay, thanks, Charlie." I smiled as he bent down and kissed my forehead. "Have a good day at work…and be careful."

"Always am." Charlie returned my smile, grabbing his gun belt from the coat rack near the front door. "Bye, Ness. Remember what I said. Get out and have some fun today."

"I will," I promised as he shut the door behind him.

Digging into my cereal once again, I knew exactly the plans I had in store for the day ahead. I would venture to La Push in the hopes of seeing Jacob Black again.

* * *

Later that afternoon, I found myself on the road to La Push in my rusty-red pickup. Knowing that Jacob probably wouldn't mind a little pick-me-up snack, I went by the local Forks bakery and bought a half dozen blueberry muffins. It was more of a thank-you gift for the night before. Even though I anxiously wanted to forget what had happened, it was something I felt I had to do. Oh, who was I kidding? Just being near Jacob once more was all the encouragement I needed. There was just something about him, and I wanted to find out exactly what that something was.

As I continued on La Push Road past the Quileute Tribal School, I glanced into my rearview mirror and noticed a black car with tinted windows following behind me. It was following so closely, if it came any closer, it would hit my back bumper. I pressed down on the accelerator in an attempt to appease the driver. Maybe I was driving a little too slow for his taste. To my dismay, the car sped up along with me, matching my rate of speed.

"What the hell?" I spat at the rearview mirror.

Slowing down and panicking just a little, I stuck my hand out the driver's side window to wave him around me. I hoped he would pass my truck and quell my fears; the driver could have possibly been my attacker returning to seek revenge. Just the very thought of his pale blue eyes rocked me down to the core. I was out traveling on a desolate highway, away from Charlie or any other help for that matter. Jacob's garage was still a mile or two away.

The black car continued to trail behind my Chevy, revving its engine provokingly every few seconds. What was even more frustrating was the fact that I couldn't see the driver through the tinted windows. My heart hammered within my chest, for I knew this wasn't some silly teenager playing games. Someone was out for blood, _my_ blood.

I could feel the chills inching their way up and down my spine as I tried to keep a grasp on my composure. It wasn't that much farther to Black's Garage and Repair, so I bore down on the accelerator, desperately hurling myself forward to safety.

Finally, I saw the shiny red sign of the garage to my left and took a deep breath of relief. Pulling into the garage's parking lot, I maneuvered my truck into the first available space. I cautiously glanced out at my side mirrors, and watched as the black car passed the garage without slowing. I turned my head and squinted to try to read the license plate number, but unfortunately, it disappeared around the bend in the road. Good riddance. Hopefully I would never see that car again.

Knowing that I would be safe now in a public area, I grabbed my box of muffins and headed toward the garage's office. I was so shaken by the experience, I had almost forgotten my purpose for even coming here. As I entered through the glass door, an electronic buzzer signaled my presence. My sense of smell instantly was assaulted with the familiar aromas of tire rubber and engine oil.

"Hello, ma'am. May I help you?" a friendly man asked as I walked up to the front desk.

"Yes, I'm looking for Jacob Black," I said, taking in the man's appearance. He had a boyish face, but appeared to be about the same age as Jacob. He wore mechanic's coveralls bearing a patch with the name _Quil_ stitched in the center and a backwards baseball cap. From the colors decorating the hat, I concluded that he was a Mariners fan.

"May I ask your name, miss?" Quil responded, wiping his grimy hands with a terrycloth rag. I noticed he had a gold wedding band on his left hand.

"It's Ness Cullen. I would really like to speak with him, if he's not too busy," I added, and gave Quil a flirty grin for good measure.

"Sure." Quil just stared at me with doe eyes, almost as if he didn't even hear my request the first time.

"Well…" I placed the box of muffins on the desk and tapped my fingers on the countertop. "I would like to see him today, if you don't mind."

"Um…sure. Uh, sorry," he stammered, obviously embarrassed, then walked around the desk toward the door which led to the shop. He paused, his hand on the doorknob, and flashed me a bright smile. "I'm Quil Ateara, by the way."

"Charmed, I'm sure." I rolled my eyes, slightly annoyed, when he turned to enter the shop.

After Quil left, I peered out the glass windows surrounding the lobby of the garage, searching for any sign of the black car that had stalked me on the highway. A nervous knot rolled over in my stomach, because I knew I'd have to take the twenty-minute drive back home. What if the stalker returned?

"Ness," a familiar voice called as the shop door reopened, startling me. "What are you doing here?"

I turned only to see the face of Jacob Black, a beautiful smile etched across his lips. I smiled in return, my eyes raking over his body. He wore a long-sleeved, button down shirt, similar to Quil's coveralls, and black dress pants. Several of his shirt's top buttons were unfastened, exposing the crest of his pec muscles. I uncomfortably swallowed and cleared my throat.

"To bring you these." I retrieved the box of muffins from the counter and handed it to him. "A little thank you for last night."

"Ness, you shouldn't have. Really." Jacob opened the box and sighed. "I was just being chivalrous like my father always taught me. Plus, I wanted to teach that asshole a lesson. But I'm glad you're here."

Jacob's smile stretched further across his face, and I shyly laughed, looking down at the concrete floor. I was probably blushing and embarrassing the hell out of myself.

"Hey, if you have a few minutes, there are some picnic tables out back. You want to have our lunch date now? We can share these," Jacob propositioned, holding up the cardboard box.

"Sure, if you're not too busy. I don't want to keep you from more important things."

"Nonsense. I always have time for friends." Jacob walked toward the front door, cracking it open. "Come on."

He led me toward the rear of the garage to a quaint picnic area. We sat down at one of the two wooden picnic tables, which were positioned under the shade of several dogwood trees. Luckily, the weather had decided to cooperate and provide us with a little warmth from the sun.

"So, what are you studying in college?" Jacob asked once we were settled, muffin in hand. He sat across from me at the picnic table, his eyes never leaving my face. I was grateful that he didn't bring up the events of the previous night.

"English. I've always loved to read and write. My mother always read to me when I was little," I replied, taking a bite of my muffin. I frowned at the thought of my mother, but somehow just being around Jacob made me feel at ease.

"That would explain that behemoth of a book you were reading last night." He winked at me while enjoying his muffin. "What are you going to do when you graduate? Write a book?"

"Maybe." I chuckled. "I thought I might get a job in journalism, maybe work for the _Seattle Times_."

"Wow, the big time. It seems you've got it all figured out then."

"Not even close," I countered. I knew it would be next to impossible for me to get a decent job at the _Times_. I'd probably end up as some columnist's errand girl or as a clerk in the mailroom. "How about you? When did you decide to go into the garage business?"

"When I was fifteen actually," he began, finishing the last bite of his muffin. "My friend Embry and I used to work on motorbikes for fun. You know, take them apart and rebuild them. I learned a lot about mechanics that way. Just something I fell in love with. When we graduated high school, we took out a loan and bought this old shop from my uncle, who was too ill to run it at the time."

"I love that," I said, watching his face light up as I doted on him.

"What?" he asked, appearing somewhat befuddled.

"The fact that you knew what you wanted to do and went with it right out of high school. You didn't let anyone tell you what you should do or where you should go," I added softly.

"Why? Did Charlie or your parents pressure you to go to college?"

"No, I went willingly. I just admire you for what you've done. Seems like a big task to take up just out of high school." I reached into the box and grabbed another muffin, offering it to my companion.

"Thanks," Jacob said, taking the muffin. "Well, it was a labor of love, but I'm passionate about what I do. Embry and Quil will tell you the same."

"Ah, Quil." I chortled at the mention of his name.

"You met Quil, huh?" Jacob questioned, his mouth full of muffin.

"Yeah, he struck me as a little _odd_," I confessed, and Jacob burst into laughter.

"So it's not just me who finds him a little off?" Jacob patted his chest to aid his muffin from getting stuck in his throat while he laughed.

"Nope, but at least he's a Mariners fan, right?"

"Ah, you're speaking my language now," Jacob happily stated. "You like baseball?"

"Love it!" I exclaimed, leaning closer to the edge of the table. "I used to play with my father's family all the time."

"Nice. I love a woman who's into sports," Jacob said before clearing his throat. "I mean, I _respect_ a woman who likes sports."

I smiled timidly down at my half eaten muffin. Jacob and I seemed to be hitting it off quite well. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to date an older man such as Jacob. However, Nahuel's face kept popping into my head each time I even considered it. He would be heartbroken to learn I was interested in someone else, or worse-seeing another man behind his back.

"Listen, Ness…" Jacob abruptly reached across the table and took my right hand into his. He stared down at my palm, running the forefinger of his other hand along my lifeline. The action sent pulses throughout the rest of my body. "I know this is going to sound rather forward, and you just went through a horrible experience last night. You can totally say no….but I would like to take you out on a date."

My heart fluttered as he spoke those words. I couldn't even answer him. I was becoming aroused as his fingers continued to trace the lines of my palm.

"I mean, I know you just met me, and you probably aren't interested in an old man like myself, but-"

"I'd love to," I blurted out, grabbing his hands with both of mine. If he'd continued to finger my palm, I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to take it before I jumped across the table and straddled his lap. Just the thought of doing so made me even more aroused.

"Really? A beautiful woman like yourself isn't taken?" I frowned as he asked that question. Technically, I was taken, and I knew I was going against all my morals, but I decided to lie. A man like Jacob Black—successful, handsome, mature-didn't come along too often.

"No, I'm one hundred percent single," I replied, pulling his left hand up to my face. His fingers instantly molded to my cheek. I sighed into his hand, feeling electricity shoot through me just at his touch. I wondered if he felt it, too.

I turned my head slightly and kissed the flesh between his thumb and his palm.

"Ness…" Jacob's lips parted, his breath becoming ragged. Damn, he was so hot. It wouldn't take much just to lean across the table and press my lips gently to his.

"Hey, Jake!"

The call broke our connection, and Jacob snatched back his hand, blinking. Disappointed, I shook my head and looked to my left as one of Jacob's employees came running up to us.

"Oh, sorry, boss."

"It's okay, Jared. What's up?" Jacob gave me an apologetic look before turning to his mechanic.

"Mrs. Newton is back, complaining about her squeaky brakes again," Jared informed, rolling his eyes, and gave me a friendly wave. "Who's this?"

"Charlie Swan's granddaughter, Nessie Cullen." Jacob turned back to me. "She's home from college, visiting Charlie for Spring Break."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jared. Sorry to hear about your mom and dad," he said, extending his greasy hand to shake mine.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." I looked down at his hand hesitantly.

"Uh, sorry, my hands are filthy." He hurriedly wiped his palms on his coveralls, then shook my hand.

"It's okay," I said, laughing. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"Ness, I have to take care of this customer. She tends to bully the guys around if I'm not there. A real pain in the ass." Jacob winked at me, taking the muffin box from the table. "How 'bout I pick you up at Charlie's house tomorrow night around seven?"

"Sounds great," I replied, the smile returning to my face. Then I remembered the events leading up to my arrival at the garage. "Um, Jacob, before you go, I need to talk to you about something else."

"Can it wait until tomorrow night? I really have to get to this customer." Jacob looked regretful, but I knew I couldn't bother him with my problems at the moment.

"Sure," I simply said, feeling a little dejected.

"Good. See you then. Thanks again for the muffins." Jacob grinned before joining Jared, who was already hurrying back toward the shop.

As I watched them disappear into the rear entrance of the garage, I thought I overheard Jared say, "You dog, you! How old is she, like twenty?" and then "Hey, are those muffins?"

I couldn't help but laugh at Jared; he was very perceptive indeed.

I walked back toward my truck, feeling somewhat elated that things had progressed so quickly with Jacob. I knew I would have to explain my whereabouts tomorrow night to Charlie, but he shouldn't mind. Didn't he say earlier that he wanted me to get out and meet new people over my break instead of being cooped up in the house? Besides, he knew Jacob; I just hoped he wouldn't object because of the seventeen year age difference. Charlie did have a legal right to wield a shotgun. I laughed quietly to myself at the image as I opened the truck door.

Pulling back onto La Push Road, I flipped on the radio and sang along with the familiar tune. I strummed my fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music, feeling truly happy again for the first time in years.

A blaring horn suddenly interrupted my contented mood. I hurriedly turned down the volume on the radio, and took a glimpse into the rearview mirror. My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. The ominous black car had returned.

"Shit!" I said aloud, pounding my fists against the steering wheel. "What do you want?"

The horn continued to beep as I accelerated down the road towards Forks. Thoughts of every horrific scenario started to flood my mind. What would happen if I stopped? Would he pass me and continue on down the highway as he did before? Would he race from his car, grab hold of me, and drag me to his car? Anything was possible at this point.

Speeding up, the black car abruptly swerved and flew into the left lane. I heard the engine rev as it sped up beside me, daring me to take it on in a race. It jerked back and forth to the side tauntingly, acting as if it might slam into me at any given second.

I stared straight ahead at the road before me, pretending not to notice, and trying not to let him intimidate me. However, it was completely impossible. I could feel the tears already rimming my eyes, and I knew my life was in danger. The driver of the car beside me obviously wanted me dead, or at least wanted to scare the shit out of me. He was doing pretty well on the latter so far.

An oncoming car suddenly appeared over the horizon, and I darted my eyes toward the black car beside me. If the driver didn't move over, the two cars would crash into each other right beside me. I feared more for the driver of the oncoming car; they didn't have a clue as to the madness of the man behind the wheel of the other.

The red car hurtling toward us began to blare its horn in an attempt to make the black car move over into its rightful lane. It didn't budge. A feeling of ultimate dread tugged painfully at my heartstrings, knowing I might be the cause of someone's untimely demise.

The cars inched closer and closer, and just when I thought all hope was lost, the black car swerved back into the lane behind my truck, spinning on its wheels and branding the pavement with angry skid marks. The red car passed by us, the driver bearing down on the horn and flipping off the driver of the black car behind me. I took a breath in relief, wanting desperately to get back to Forks.

The black car still continued to pursue my red truck as I crossed the Forks' city limits. I couldn't very well drive home; he would know where I lived if I did. Deciding my best course of action would be to drive to the police station, I increased the speed of my truck and made the necessary turns onto East Division Street toward Charlie's office.

Finally reaching my destination and steering my truck into the police station's parking lot, I glanced into the rearview mirror. The black car had vanished without a trace. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my Chevy into the spot beside Charlie's cruiser and dashed from the truck, messenger bag in hand.

"Ness, what's wrong?" Charlie stood up from his desk the second I entered the double doors of the police station, taking in my panicked expression.

"Someone's following me, Charlie," I confessed, not caring at the moment if he knew someone was after me.

"What do you mean someone's following you? Did you get the license plate number?" Charlie asked, placing his hands on my shoulders and looking me straight in the eyes.

"No, but it was a two-door black car with dark tinted windows. I couldn't see the driver," I revealed, shaking like a leaf. "Can you please just drive me home?"

"Ok, Ness." Charlie released his grip on my shoulders and turned to one of his deputies. "Mac, get a few officers out and look for a two-door black car with tinted windows. Run the plates and see if this SOB has a record."

"Sure thing, chief," Deputy Mac McDougal called, before reaching for his jacket, and heading out to his cruiser.

"Ok, Ness, let's get you home." Charlie wrapped his right arm around my shoulders. "I'll bring your truck home tomorrow."

"Thanks, Charlie," I said, showing my gratitude to my grandfather as he led me out the door to his police car.

Someone had saved me from imminent danger once again, but I had to wonder…how much longer would it be before my luck ran out?

**Attn: Who do you think is pursuing Ness? What are your theories as to why? If you read my disclaimer, you know that Jacob is not the villain, but how do you think he will play into this whole situation now that they've met? Please click the link below and leave me your thoughts. Thanks! ;)**


	3. Chapter 3: Violent Ends

**_***Warning: This chapter contains a scene of violence.***_**

* * *

_"These violent delights have violent ends."_

_~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet_

~.~.~.~

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 3: Violent Ends**

Renesmee's POV

"Charlie, there's something I need to tell you," I nervously admitted, watching the blur of trees from the passenger side window as he drove me home from the Forks police station.

I had made up my mind. I was going to tell Charlie about the attack at the diner. With the black car now in pursuit of me, I realized how much I was risking letting my secret go unspoken. I knew the two events were related somehow. It was just too much of a coincidence, and there was no telling what plans the driver or my attacker had in store for me.

"What's that, Ness?" Charlie sniffed and turned a wondering eye, his hands firmly fastened on the cruiser's steering wheel. He then picked up his foam coffee cup from its holder, taking a quick sip.

I hesitated. My hands toyed absently with the straps of my messenger bag as my mind vividly replayed the events of the previous night. I could see my attacker's pale blue eyes, his dirty-blond hair, the menacing smirk painted on his lips. I closed my brown eyes and shuddered, reliving the horror that shot through my body when I felt his hand graze my inner thigh…

"Ness, are you okay, sweetheart?" Charlie placed his right hand on my knee.

I flinched at the gesture and opened my eyes.

"Sorry, Charlie," I said, blinking away my twisted thoughts. "I zoned out there for a minute."

"You said you had something to tell me," Charlie reminded me, patting my knee, and then returned his hand to the steering wheel.

"Yeah, um…" I began, trying to think of the best way to tell him. "Something happened at the diner last night."

"Ah, yes." He chuckled. "You met Jacob Black."

My eyes widened, peering over at my grandfather in shock.

"How do you know that?"

I wondered how he would have known about my meeting Jacob at the diner. I hadn't told a soul, in fear of Charlie finding out about the attack.

"Billy called me at the station this morning and invited us over for a cookout at his place next weekend before you head back to UDub," Charlie said, a slight smile on his face. "He also told me Jacob couldn't stop talking about you."

"Oh," I simply replied, relishing in the thought of Jacob telling his father about me. I must have really made an impression on him last night.

"Is that why you went to his garage today? To see him again?"

I blushed at Charlie's words, biting my lower lip. "Well, I just wanted to thank-"

"It's all right," he interjected. "I don't mind you hanging out with Jacob. It's just... he's almost twice your age, Ness. Anyway, I thought you had a boyfriend back at school. What was his name again?"

"Nahuel," I answered, rolling my eyes like a preteen, and glanced back out the window. "Jacob and I are just friends, Charlie. Nothing more. Besides, I only just met him last night. It's not like I'm going to marry him or anything."

"I know. I'm just looking out for you, Ness," my grandfather added as he steered the car into our home's driveway. "I just don't want you or anyone else hurt in this. That's all I meant. You're only going to be here for a week, and then you'll be headed back to Seattle."

I thought about what Charlie had said, knowing exactly the meaning of his words. He was afraid of me hurting Nahuel, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Nahuel Joham and I had met our sophomore year in our British Lit class at the University of Washington. It was the first day of the spring semester, and I was late to class as usual.

Receiving the glare of death from my professor, Dr. Lecouras, I timidly walked into the classroom and took the only seat left in the room, the desk right beside Nahuel. I hurriedly opened my textbook to the poems of John Donne and tried to get caught up, when I felt someone's eyes watching me. I turned and saw Nahuel's yellow brown eyes staring back at me with such tenderness. A crooked smile soon formed on his lips. My heart fluttered. He was absolutely gorgeous.

I blushed, returning to my poems. Several minutes later, I stole another glance at my new admirer, and his eyes were still focused on me.

After class, Nahuel asked me out for a cup of coffee. We ended up talking for the rest of the afternoon and into the night about school, our majors, and our plans for after we graduated, over countless cups of coffee. Nahuel was a native of Brazil who had decided to explore his educational opportunities in the United States. He had the most thrilling accent, and I loved the way my name rolled so eloquently off his tongue. I had never connected with another person in the way we connected in those few hours. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I never wanted it to end.

At about one a.m., we decided to call it a night, and like a gentleman, Nahuel offered to escort me back to my dorm. Before I could even reach for my keys, he threw me up against the door, determinedly pressing his lips against mine. I didn't fight it; I had been secretly fantasizing about him doing that very same thing all evening.

Needless to say, Nahuel didn't make it back to his dorm that night.

The sound of Charlie's police radio roused me from my thoughts as he placed the car in park. I took a deep breath, feeling the heat in my cheeks from just the memory of my first time with Nahuel. I attempted to distract myself by listening to the menagerie of code words now emanating from the speaker.

"Looks like they've found our guy," Charlie happily said, picking up the radio's handheld microphone and reciting his reply. He then turned to me. "Ness, I've gotta head back to the station. Mac ran the guy's prints, and your so-called stalker has a habit of following women and roughing them up a bit. He's wanted in three states."

"Thank God," I muttered, taking another deep breath. This time, it was a breath of relief. Maybe I wouldn't have to tell Charlie about the attack after all. They had arrested the man responsible, and now he was going to jail. He could rot there for all I cared.

"Why don't you go on in and order a pizza? You can rest easy now that we've caught that SOB." Charlie reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his trousers and handed me a twenty-dollar bill. "I want to see the look in that bastard's eyes when I throw him in a cell and lock the bars behind him. I want it to be the last time he ever even thinks about touching a woman again."

"Thanks, Charlie." I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, and by the way, Jacob's coming over tomorrow night to take me out on a date."

"Just friends, huh?" Charlie scoffed as I opened the passenger door to his cruiser. "I knew it."

I answered my grandfather with a coy wink and exited the car. Through the windshield, I watched him shake his head and slowly back out of the driveway.

Laughing, I took the steps to the front door two at a time. Flinging open the door, I threw my messenger bag on the wooden floor and pressed my body flat against the doorframe. My mind could only focus on one single thought now that I was out of harm's way…

_Jacob Black._

* * *

I spent my Monday mentally preparing myself for my date with Jacob. I also made all the normal physical preparations any woman would do before a first date with a man. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, waxed (yes, I waxed), and trimmed my eyebrows.

While blow-drying my hair, I considered the myriad of opportunities the night could possibly bring. Most of all, I was looking forward to getting to know Jacob more. He was just so intriguing to me. Maybe it was the fact he knew my parents probably better than anyone else had before they died. Then again, maybe it was the fact that every time I caught a glimpse of Jacob's gorgeous smile, my stomach did back flips.

Furthermore, Charlie obviously didn't object to Jacob and me spending time together while I was home for Spring Break, judging from his reaction in the car. Everything seemed to be falling into place for me to form a relationship with Jacob. I just hoped he felt the same way about me.

The doorbell rang at exactly seven o'clock that evening. I raced down the stairs, my heart already doing somersaults within my chest. I was wearing my favorite outfit, a blue long-sleeved t-shirt that hung slightly off my shoulders and a jean mini-skirt over black leggings. My father always told me that he loved it when I wore blue. I looked so much like my mother, he once doted.

"Jacob, it's nice to see you again." Charlie's voice made me stop on the last step.

I watched as he opened the front door and shook Jacob's hand. I felt the rush of embarrassment begin to stream throughout my body, but I knew Charlie only meant well. I hadn't dated that many boys in high school; Nahuel had been my first and only boyfriend, my first everything when it came to men. Since my parents weren't there to object, I guess Charlie found it fitting to be protective of his only granddaughter.

"Nice to see you too, Chief Swan," Jacob replied, stepping inside the doorway.

The sight of him nearly took my breath away. He was wearing a gray t-shirt over faded jeans and a leather motorcycle jacket. His head immediately turned in my direction, his brown eyes smoldering as he took in my appearance.

"Jacob, you've known me all your life. None of that 'Chief Swan' business. Call me Charlie," my grandfather insisted.

"Sorry, _Charlie_," Jacob said, never taking his eyes off me. "Are you ready, Ness?"

"Uh, yeah." I shook my head in an attempt to revive myself from my daze, and reached for my handbag and jean jacket on the table by the front door.

"Ness," Charlie called as Jacob held open the door for me. "I'll be at the station tonight if you need me. Have…_fun_." He almost seemed to have tears in his eyes.

"Don't worry, Charlie. I'll take good care of her," Jacob assured him, watching my grandfather with tender eyes.

"I don't doubt that, Jacob." Charlie crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the bottom post of the stairs, giving my date a fierce look of intimidation. "Just looking out for my granddaughter."

"We'll be home before midnight, _Dad_," I jokingly remarked, throwing my arms around his neck. He sighed, giving me a quick peck on the side of my forehead. "Don't wait up."

"Oh, you know I will." Charlie snorted and pressed his lips into a hard line. "Now, get out of here before I change my mind."

"Night, Charlie," Jacob said, placing his hand at the small of my back as I exited the house.

Jacob and I walked in silence to the end of the driveway. I looked toward the street, searching for his black motorcycle, but it was nowhere to be found. I frowned, somewhat confused.

"Where's your bike, Jacob?" I asked, spinning around on my heels to face him.

"Uh, we're taking my Rabbit." He gestured toward the old Volkswagen parked in front of the house. "I didn't think you'd want to ride my bike on our first date."

_How considerate_, I thought.

He then winked at me, reaching for my hand. "Come on."

Jacob opened the passenger side door for me and circled around to the driver's side of the car.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, turning the key in the ignition. "I got us reservations at La Tua Cantante for dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

I smiled. It was more than okay. La Tua Cantante was by far the best restaurant in Forks, known all across the Pacific Northwest for their impeccable steaks. Charlie had taken me there to celebrate my high school graduation three years before. I had such fond memories of that place.

"Sure, I love their steaks," I told Jacob, and he laughed. "What?"

"Steak? Really?" He pulled the Rabbit onto the street toward downtown Forks. "I'd never peg you as a steak girl."

"Ha," I said aloud, watching the way his eyes danced with his laughter. "What makes you say that?"

"Nothing. It's just you're so _thin_ like your mother always was." Jacob looked over at me. "I thought you might have been a vegetarian."

"Watch it, Jacob Black." I gave him an upturned eyebrow. "I'll make you turn this car around right now."

"Okay, I give." He tried to mask his laughter, forcing his lips closed. "So, would it be too intrusive if I asked what else you liked to eat?"

"Not at all." I grinned, looking down at my hands folded in my lap.

We continued to make small talk about our likes and dislikes when it came to food until we arrived at the restaurant. Jacob chivalrously opened the car door and the restaurant's door for me. Once inside, the hostess greeted us and led us to a secluded table near the back of the dining room.

After ordering our steak and baked potatoes, I decided to break the silence between us with the question that had been weighing heavily on my mind the entire evening.

"Jacob, how did you become friends with my parents?" I asked and watched him almost spit out his sip of beer. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay," he choked out, wiping his lips with his cloth napkin. "That question just caught me by surprise."

"I understand if you don't want to talk about them," I relayed, placing my napkin in my lap. "It's still hard for me, too."

Jacob took another sip of his beer to clear his throat. "Well, I just didn't think you'd want to talk about them tonight. I'm surprised you actually brought them up, to tell you the truth."

"Why's that?" I questioned, placing my right elbow on the table and cradling my face with my hand.

"What exactly did Bells tell you about me?" He answered my question with a question, a stern look on his face.

"Just that you were her best friend growing up, and that you two used to do all sorts of things together with my dad," I revealed, playing with the fork beside my plate with my free hand.

"Did she now?" His expression appeared skeptical. "Did she say anything else?"

"Not much else, except that she cared for you very much." I picked up my wine and took a drink of the Merlot, looking up at him from behind the glass. I swallowed and set the glass back down, preparing for the moment of truth. "Why? _Was_ there something else?"

"Ness-" Jacob hesitated, glancing down at his empty appetizer plate. He finally sighed. "I was in love with your mother."

He then peered up at me with dejected eyes.

"What?" I said softly, tears starting to rim my eyes.

The whole night came crashing down upon me with his last words. I couldn't believe it. I had half a mind to run for the nearest exit, but I decided to stay and hear him out. Maybe, I had heard him wrong the first time.

Jacob released a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"Bella started dating your father their junior year of high school," he began, not quite meeting my eyes. "I realized my true feelings for her when I saw them together for the first time. That summer, I finally mustered up enough courage to tell her, but she told me she only thought of me as a friend. Still, I didn't give up. My persistence got so bad, your father and I ended up getting into a fistfight at their prom. I'd been drinking, and it's not something I'm proud of, but it happened. Your father gave me a black eye and a bloody lip that night."

He laughed, his eyes darting up at me. "But I deserved it."

"Okay…" I whispered, a little infuriated by what he was telling me.

Why didn't my mom ever tell me that Jacob had romantic feelings toward her? No wonder my dad always tensed up when she referred to her past with Jacob. It all made perfect sense now. Part of me began to wonder if he'd asked me out only because I reminded him so much of her. I was just some lookalike to fulfill his unrequited fantasies of being with my mother. I started to feel sick to my stomach.

"Our friendship became strained after that." He looked away, possibly lost in the hurtful memories of the past. "Then I found out two weeks later that she was pregnant."

"Look, Jacob," I said, fuming, and reached for my handbag. "I don't know what your intentions were in asking me out tonight, but I'm not my mother."

"Whoa, hey, Ness." He stretched his right arm across the table to stop me from leaving. "That's not why I asked you out. Sure, you look similar to her, but I just wanted to get to know my best friend's daughter. Is that such a crime?"

He stared at me with those big, puppy-dog eyes, and I was a goner. He was just too beautiful to resist. _Maybe I should hear him out and not let my mind jump to conclusions_, I thought. He really did seem genuine. Plus, I owed him the decency of staying; he did save me from my attacker, and had kept his promise not to tell Charlie.

"I guess not." I returned my handbag to the empty seat beside me, huffing. "What would you like to know?"

"What's your favorite color?" Jacob's grin soared across his face as he leaned toward the center of the table.

"Green," I replied, exaggeratedly rolling my eyes.

"Favorite movie?" he posed.

"_The Notebook_," I sternly said, knowing he would probably cringe at my choice of a romantic drama.

"Really? I thought I was the only one who liked that movie." His eyes sparkled along with his smile. He had to be joking.

"You liked _The Notebook_?" I casually asked, unconvinced.

"Of course. The ending was great. Even though the girl loved her fiancé, she ended up choosing her first-" Jacob's voice trailed off, realizing exactly what he was saying. He looked at me with worried eyes. "Sorry, Ness."

"So, what other sports do you like besides baseball?" I changed the subject, not even acknowledging his last statement, and scooped up my wineglass with my right hand.

Throwing my head back, I took a giant gulp of red wine. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"So, they caught the guy," I told Jacob as we walked along the sands of First Beach.

After dinner, Jacob had suggested that we take a stroll along his favorite strip of beach in La Push. I'd always loved the ocean when I was a little girl. The distinct salty scent in the air took me back to the happier times of my childhood.

"What guy? You mean the guy from the diner?" Jacob stopped, angling his body toward me. I noticed how the soft moonlight added a silvery glow to his black hair. I couldn't look away. "Did you tell Charlie what happened?"

"No, well," I began, and we continued our walk along the beach. "When I left your garage yesterday, someone was following me in a black car. I drove straight to the police station to tell Charlie, and he sent out several squad cars to hunt the driver down. When they arrested him, they found out he was wanted in three states for sexual assault."

"No kidding," Jacob said, scowling. "I'm so glad they caught that asshole. Serves him right for what he did to you. If Edward was alive…sorry, there I go again."

"No worries, Jake." I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Jake, huh?" He smiled from ear to ear, his beautiful eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "So I take it you forgive me for being rude earlier at dinner."

"_Rude_ as in telling me the truth about your relationship with my mother?" I took my hand away and shoved it into the pocket of my jean jacket.

He nodded, looking out toward the horizon. "Yeah, that's not something you tell a woman you just met…that you were once in love with her mother. I'm surprised you didn't punch my lights out and call Charlie to come pick you up."

"Oh, I considered it." I smiled, chuckling too low for him to hear. "I found it just a little _awkward_ to say the least."

"I know, I'm an idiot," he said, flashing me his gorgeous smile. He couldn't be an idiot even if he tried.

"I'm actually glad that you told me about it up front. I would've been extremely pissed if you had waited to tell me on our third or fourth date," I admitted as we came upon a driftwood log lying parallel to our path.

I freed my hands from my pockets and scaled the log, holding out my hands for balance.

"You seem mighty confident I'm going to ask you out again." Jacob walked along beside me, spotting me with his arms, as I traveled down the length of the dead tree.

"You're not?" I questioned, leaping off the end of the log.

"I didn't say that." He pursed his lips, his eyes softening.

My heart skipped a beat, and I darted my eyes from his, beginning to trod along our path again.

Jacob caught up to me and abruptly pulled me to him, placing his hands at my waist. I instinctively coiled my arms around his neck, watching his brown eyes as his head leaned toward mine.

"You're so beautiful, Ness." His lips inched closer to mine.

My heart began to beat all the way into my ears. I wasn't sure if it was the wine talking or his breath that was intoxicating me.

"You know, you really don't look that much like your mother." He brushed several loose strands of my red hair from my face. "You look like Ness to me."

I closed the gap between us and pressed my lips eagerly to his. He immediately reciprocated, caressing my lips with an endless fervor. I rose up on my tiptoes to gain better access to his lips. Jolts of electricity surged throughout my body, causing me to almost become lightheaded. I ran my hands up his long neck and fisted my fingers in his short, black locks. Our kisses became more urgent, and he gripped me firmly at the waist, pressing his body further into mine. The heat from his body was inebriating, enveloping me like a warm, fleece blanket.

"Ness," he breathed, breaking off our kiss. My lips instantly ached from being apart from his.

Jacob leaned in and placed his forehead to mine. "I'm sorry."

"Jake, please stop apologizing," I said, looking deep into his dark eyes. My breaths were just as uneven as his. "I wanted that probably more than you did."

"Sure, sure." He chuckled, cupping his strong hands around my face. "Do you want me to do it again?"

He arched his right eyebrow, his eyes concentrating on my lips.

"Fuck yeah," I responded, grabbing his head with both of my hands.

I forced my lips back to his, darting my tongue into his mouth. His tongue soon danced along with mine, and he lifted my body so that I could wrap my legs around his waist.

"Ugh," I grunted, throwing my head back, as he lips found my neck. I could feel his growing erection pressing into my inner thigh. It took all the strength I had not to grind against it.

After several more seconds of lip lock, Jacob placed my feet back on the sand again.

"Yeah, um…" Jacob looked dazed, his lips plump from devouring mine. He scratched his forehead. "Wanna go for some ice cream? I know a really great place."

"Is this a trick?" I tugged on my shirt to vent it, feeling a little woozy from our kiss. "_Ice cream_ isn't code for something else, is it?"

Jacob smirked, and I noticed he now sported a slight cowlick from my handiwork.

"_Ice cream_ means ice cream I promise."

Just as he spoke those words, I felt several drops of rain hit the top of my head.

"Come on. Let's go." Jacob took my hand into his, and we paced back down the beach to his waiting car like two teenagers in love.

I delighted in the sensation of his skin touching mine. His hand was so warm, so familiar; it fit into my hand just right, almost like a glove. When we reached the car, he opened the passenger side door for me.

"Your chariot, my lady," Jacob joked, winking at me.

"Thank you, good sir." I returned his wink, sliding into the seat of the car.

We sped down the two lane highway, stealing glances at each other as we went. The memory of his kiss lingered on my swollen lips. I closed my eyes, listening to the hypnotizing sounds of the rain pounding the roof of the car, and relived the whole experience. I licked my lips, longing to feel his large, strong hands on my skin once more.

"Here it is," Jacob said, and I opened my eyes. "Best ice cream in the whole state of Washington. Their coffee's not bad either."

I blinked, watching a large neon sign come into view through the downpour. It read, "Kwoli's Espresso and Ice Cream." A faded picture of a wolf howling at the moon was positioned above the lettering.

Jacob steered the car into the parking lot, which was completely empty, and pulled into a spot near the side entrance of the shop. The shop looked more like a small convenience store than a ice cream parlor, but I gave Jacob the benefit of the doubt.

"I'll save you from getting wet." He shifted the car into park. "What's your favorite flavor?"

"Chocolate," I whispered, focusing on his lips.

"Ah, my favorite, too." He smiled, exiting the car, and pulled up his jacket so that it was covering his head. "Be right back. Don't go anywhere."

I chuckled quietly to myself as my eyes followed him into the ice cream shop. The night had been such a whirlwind, but the instant his lips met mine, time just seemed to stand still. I had never felt such a rush from just kissing someone before. It was best feeling I'd ever had, even better than the first time Nahuel and I had kissed.

_Nahuel_. I began to worry about his reaction to my unfaithfulness. However, remembering Jacob's warm arms around me, I found myself not caring at all what Nahuel thought. Jacob was foremost in my mind, and I knew that it was the start of something wonderful and real. I couldn't deny the feelings now overpowering my heart.

"Hey, miss." A finger tapped on the window right beside my face.

I turned and squinted through the raindrops on the glass, only to see those haunting blue eyes staring back at me. My pulse began to quicken, adrenaline flushing its way through my veins. He had found me once again. Charlie had obviously arrested the wrong man.

Without even thinking to lock the car door to prevent him entrance, I screamed at the top of my lungs. I knew there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. No one could hear my cries over the thunderous rain, not even Jacob.

My attacker gripped the handle of the door, violently flinging it open. He leaned his blond head into the car, hissing, and reached over to unhook my seatbelt with one hand. I writhed and struggled in my seat to fight off his arms as they tugged at my legs, pulling me from the car. My back hit the wet cement with a thud, and I soon felt his hand clasp tightly around my mouth.

"Don't say a word, and I'll make this real quick. You won't feel a thing." He hoisted my body into his arms, my limbs flailing all about him.

Opening the driver's side of his truck, he tossed me onto the seat. My navy ballet flats went soaring off my feet, lost to the puddles below.

"Jake!" I immediately sat up, but he grabbed onto my arms.

"What did I tell you, bitch?" He brutally slapped me across the face, the force turning my head completely to the side. "I told you to shut the hell up!"

Tears flooded my eyes as I felt blood begin to seep from my bottom lip.

"Let's see how you handle a real man!" he excitedly exclaimed, forcing my body down on the seat and climbing into the truck.

"I'll ask him when I see him!" I heard Jacob's loud voice coming from outside the truck.

"You again?" My attacked turned around to face him, sliding out the truck. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"You obviously don't either!" Jacob boomed in response.

The next thing I heard was the sound of a body hitting the drenched pavement.

I shot up from the seat of the truck, only to see Jacob pounding the body of my attacker with a piece of plywood.

"Jake, stop! What are you doing?" I leapt from the truck, watching in horror as he continued to pummel the man countless more times.

He didn't hear me. Anger and hate had completely taken over his body.

"Jake, please!" I broke into sobs, sinking down the pavement below. I placed my head in my hands, the echoes of each hit reverberating in my ears.

I swayed back and forth, my body becoming even more soaked by the rain. I didn't know where my tears ended and where the drops of rain began anymore.

And then…silence.

I looked up from my hands, and Jacob rocked back on his heels, trembling, as he struggled to stand. He finally collapsed to the ground, and the two by four fell languidly from his right hand, splashing water all around him.

"Jake," I whispered, and his eyes flickered toward me. "What have you done?"

He held his head down, staring blankly at the mangled body before him.

Crawling on my knees, I went to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He didn't respond; his wide eyes still focused on the lifeless body of my attacker.

As I held him there, in those dismal moments, I knew then that my life would never be the same.

******Attn: So, what do you think? This is the moment I've been building up to. We'll learn who this guy is and why he possibly might have been stalking Ness in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**  



	4. Chapter 4: Say Goodnight

_"Cowards die many times before their deaths;_

_the valiant never taste of death but once."_

_~William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar_

~.~.~.~

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 4: Say Goodnight**

**Renesmee's POV**

Jacob said nothing as the merciless rain continued to fall all around us. I held him tightly against my chest, my mind reeling at the situation with which we were now faced.

Jacob had killed a man protecting me, and the overwhelming feeling of dread washed over me like the raindrops that had now soaked me to the bone.

I reluctantly looked up from Jacob's shoulder. Through the thick veil of rain, I could see the outline of my attacker as he lay slumped over on the ground. His head was a bloody mess. His long blond tresses strayed from the band at the nape of his neck, wildly streaming out from his head like fire. The rain pummeled his motionless form, gradually rinsing the blood from his face and revealing the eyes that had haunted my waking thoughts. Little did I know, it was the image that would disturb my dreams for the rest of my life.

"Jake," I cried, returning my head to his shoulder. Another sob escaped my lips as the realization of what he had done began to sink in. "What are we going to do?"

"Ness…" he finally spoke, still frozen as a statue cast in stone. I heard him gulp, signifying the first breath I had heard him take since the unthinkable happened.

Jacob then opened his mouth to speak again, his lips quivering as the raindrops rolled over them to the ground.

"Jake, look at me," I demanded, pulling his face to mine. I peered deep into his eyes, and all I saw was nothingness, a blank stare void of any discernable expression or emotion. "Please speak to me! Tell me what we should do!"

His gaping eyes blinked as I searched his face for answers, for some sign that he still had the capacity for conscious thought.

"Ness," Jacob whispered.

"Yes, Jake, it's me. Tell me what I need to do," I said calmly, holding his face in my palms.

He suddenly pulled my hands away, coming onto his feet. I stood up beside him and placed my right hand on his shoulder. He was silent for a few fleeting seconds, and then something snapped.

"Grab his legs," Jacob commanded, walking with determination toward the corpse's head.

"Jake, what the hell are you doing?" My eyes widened as I saw him proceed to lift my attacker's torso up from the ground. He was planning on disposing of the body without involving the police. "Shouldn't we call Charlie and tell him what happened?"

"Grab his legs," he angrily repeated, and I sighed, bending down to take hold of the dead man's black army boots.

I hated the thought of even touching the man who had attacked me twice, but I hated myself even more for what I was about to help Jacob accomplish.

"Okay, on one, two, three…"

We both lifted at the same time, hoisting the body over toward Jacob's Volkswagen. Surprisingly, the body wasn't as heavy as I expected; however, I knew Jacob was supporting most of its weight.

When we reached the car, Jacob held onto the corpse by the collar of its jean jacket while he unlocked and opened the rear door of the hatchback. He didn't speak another word as he helped me raise the body into the trunk. The body sunk into the car and rolled over like a ragdoll, its eyes gazing into oblivion. I stood there, watching the eyes I had seen in such overpowering terror, and instantly felt remorse for the life that was cut too short. I knew all too well how that felt.

Jacob then darted back toward the man's truck and retrieved the piece of wood he'd used to defend me. He paused, looking down at the short two by four in his grip; then he returned to the Rabbit, and heftily tossed the board on top of the garbled corpse.

"Let's go," Jacob said firmly, shutting the rear door, and raced toward the driver's side of the car.

I followed after him, flinging open the passenger side door and sinking down on the seat. My heart began to beat an erratic rhythm as I fastened my seatbelt into place with shaky hands.

"Jake, what are we doing?" I asked him, observing him crank the engine and shift the car in reverse.

"Taking him to the cliffs," Jacob replied through gritted teeth, placing his hand on my headrest, and backed out of the parking space.

"Jake, are you crazy?" I yelled, bringing my hands to my temples and running them through my drenched bronze strands. "We have to go explain the situation to Charlie. He can help us, Jake. Please! Let's just go back and call him."

I reached into my evening bag and pulled out my cell phone, scrolling through the screens to find the Forks police station's number.

"NO! We can't tell Charlie!" Jacob ripped the phone from my hand and snapped it in two pieces, throwing it violently onto the floor. He then sped onto the highway in the direction of First Beach, the tires fighting relentlessly with the puddles of rain.

"Why not, Jake?" I screamed into his ear, hoping it would knock some sense into him. "He can be our ally in this!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?" Jacob brushed off what I had said, a hint of hysterics in his tone, his eyes attending to the dark highway. "I'm Chief of my tribe, Ness. If the public finds out I killed a man, I would lose everything I've worked for and make a mockery out of my people. I will not let that happen, not for one second."

"It was self-defense—you were protecting me. The courts would rule in our favor." I tried to reason with him to no avail.

"No, Ness. I killed that man in cold blood. I should've just knocked him unconscious and called Charlie," he countered, his eyes still transfixed on the road. "I don't know what came over me. I just _snapped_."

"But-" I began, but he held up a hand to silence me.

"But nothing, Ness," Jacob angrily spat, returning his hand to the steering wheel. "I won't put my people through that humiliation. I won't put _you_through the horror of a trial. You've worked so hard to get where you are in the world. I won't put your life on hold for something I did."

"Jake, he was a sleaze! A goddamn filthy rapist!" I gasped at my use of such harsh language, placing a hand over my mouth. I turned my head and watched the cliffs of the La Push beach as they came into view. "He deserved it."

"Maybe he did, but it wasn't my right to decide whether he lived or died." Jacob steered the car toward the side of the road. "I made a horrible mistake."

"A mistake that's fixable," I said as the car came to a halt on the shoulder. I glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. The rigid, blue numbers read a quarter past midnight. "Please let me call Charlie. It's getting late. He's going to wonder why I'm not back yet."

"No, we'll make up some excuse to tell him later," Jacob determinedly opposed, opening the car door. He climbed out of the car and left the engine running. "Help me move him to the cliff." He then slammed the door shut in my face.

I did as I was told, reluctantly prying myself from the seat of the car. The rain maintained its constant downpour as I walked around to the rear door. I stared toward the driver's side of the car, having half a mind to jump into the cab and take off back toward Forks, leaving Jacob behind. However, I couldn't do make my legs move in that direction. We were already in too deep; there was no turning back now.

"Take his legs again," Jacob instructed once he had opened the hatchback. "Let's get him over to the edge."

With the rain hammering down upon us, we lifted the body and carried him across the road toward the cliff. We placed the body gently on the ground near the edge. I could hear the roar from the waves violently crashing against the rocks below.

"Stay here." Jacob turned, rushing back toward the car to grab the wooden stick from the trunk.

I brushed the wet tresses back from my face, angling my head toward the heavens. I opened my mouth and let the raindrops wash over my tongue. Crossing my soaked arms over my chest, I gripped my torso as hard as I could in an attempt to hold myself together. I was about to lose every shred of sanity I had left. I closed my brown eyes, praying a silent request that I would soon wake from this nightmare.

"Ness." Jacob roused me from my thoughts, throwing the board down alongside the corpse. "This is the right thing for us to do."

I looked over at him as he sauntered toward me, his eyes waning over with guilt.

"I'm so sorry it had to come to this." He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly to his chest.

"We're going to have to live with this secret forever, Jake." I kept my arms bound tightly around my torso. Sorrowful tears seeped from my eyes, and were instantly cleansed away by the rain.

"I know." He let me go, and I watched the rain make patterns on his cheeks and forehead. Even after the horrible crime he had just committed, he still looked absolutely breathtaking.

I sighed, placing a hand on his cheek, my thumb resting on the slight dent in his chin. Maybe this was our secret to share. Maybe this was our fate. Maybe this was what would bind us together for the rest of our lives.

Leaning in, Jacob gave me a small kiss on the lips. His simple gesture spoke the emotions weighing heavily on his heart without saying a word. I felt sadness, remorse, shame, but most of all, I felt his care for me. I knew this man would have done anything to make sure I was safe and protected.

"Let's get this over with," I finally relented, running my thumb back and forth over his chin.

Jacob reached up and grasped my hand, locking his fingers into mine. He then released them, and we both turned to attend to the lifeless body lying on the saturated ground.

"You take the head. I'll take the legs." Jacob squatted over the body, gliding his fingers under the dead man's knees.

I knelt down by the corpse's head, deflecting my gaze so that I wouldn't have to stare into his cold, pale eyes. I placed my fingers on each of his shoulders and waited for Jacob's signal.

"Okay, let's do this," Jacob affirmed, but I wavered, hurriedly jerking back my hands. "Ness, what is it?"

"I want to know who this guy is," I said firmly, grabbing the dead man's shoulders, and rolled him over on his back.

"I think it's better that we don't know, Ness," Jacob insisted, still holding onto the legs.

"I just want to know his name." I frantically jammed my hand into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. The rain instantly soaked the brown leather fabric as I held it in my trembling palms.

I clenched my eyelids together, slowly unfurling the tri-fold wallet. My eyes flew open, and I pivoted the wallet so I could read the name off his driver's license:

_James Michael Volturi_.

I closed my eyes, sending the wallet crashing to the damp ground in front of me. The hatred, the absolute abhorrence of that name, swept over me like the raging waves on the sea below. It was the very name of the drunk driver who had swerved and slammed into my parents' car that night, killing them on impact.

But James had died as well…_or so we had thought_.

"What is it, Ness?" I could barely make out Jacob's voice as his hands swooped down and picked up the wallet. "No way…it couldn't be."

"Jake, he killed my parents," I said through my sobs, trying hard to maintain my grip on reality.

"Yes, but he died in the crash, too. Dead is dead. There's no coming back from that."

I stared vacantly down at the puddles in the grass beneath my feet, the horror of that night rushing back to me…the chilling ding of the doorbell, the grim expressions of the officers behind the door, the sadness on Charlie's face as he heard the news.

I remembered the terrifying nightmares I had experienced after my parents died, waking up in a pool of my own sweat. I was always running down a desolate highway, tracked by some unseen force, and every time I'd turn around to face what was pursuing me, smoke would rise, ultimately clouding my vision. I hadn't seen the face of my parents' murderer out of a desire to never be haunted by the image. Now, however, I would be troubled by it until my last dying breath.

"Ness." Jacob purposefully shook me by the shoulders. I heard the wallet splash in the mud once again. "I don't know what the hell is going on here, but we need to dispose of the body as quickly as possible and head back."

Jacob retracted his arms and picked up the wallet once again. His eyes widened in alarm.

"Shit," he vehemently swore under his breath, turning the wallet to face me.

There, tucked inside one of the plastic picture sleeves, was my senior picture from high school.

Then everything became vividly clear…

"H-he came back for me," I unquestionably stammered, and shuddered beneath the raining clouds. A clap of thunder chillingly roared off in the distance. "H-he came back to f-finish the job."

Still holding onto the wallet, Jacob threw his arms around me and held me close. I sighed into his embrace, a rush of relief running through my veins. The man who had killed my parents and apparently had tried to send me to meet them was now dead. So many emotions hit me all I once; I wondered how I would ever be able to move from my position.

"Come on," Jacob simply said, letting me go.

I furiously wiped my eyes as Jacob took the picture from the plastic sleeve and replaced James' wallet in his back pocket. If the police were to discover the body, suspicion inescapably would arise as to how my parents' car accident actually happened. I knew Jacob had removed my picture to ensure no one would question me about James' death. A heartbroken daughter with a vendetta wouldn't be ruled out during the inevitable investigation.

Returning my hands to James' shoulders, I merrily helped Jacob roll the body toward the edge of the cliff. We pushed with all our strength, and the body steadily swayed off the precipice, lost to the churning waves below.

Jacob and I both stood up at the same time, giving each other satisfied, yet dismal, looks. He then held up the board and chucked in the murder weapon after the departed body.

When the board was out of sight, Jacob turned to me with an outstretched hand. "Let's get you home."

* * *

Jacob and I sat in Charlie's driveway, a prolonged, excruciating silence between us. We hadn't spoken a single word since we had walked away from the cliffs just over twenty minutes ago. I looked intently down at my hands, trying to come to grips with what we both had just experienced.

Jacob leaned forward, his strong hands plastered to the steering wheel, staring emptily at the two objects that had now been responsible for ending a life. His knuckles were completely white beneath the brown skin of his fingers. I would have given anything to know what he was thinking at that moment.

Suddenly, he shot straight up in his seat, glancing toward the front porch.

"You should go in," he said decisively, propping his elbow on the door and pressing his left hand to his forehead. He tiredly began to massage his temples. "I'm sure Charlie's out looking for you."

I had noticed when we pulled into the driveway that Charlie's cruiser wasn't parked outside the house. Technically, I was over an hour late; it was past one am, and I'd promised Charlie I'd be home at midnight.

"Would you mind coming in with me?" I asked Jacob, wary of going inside the house by myself so late at night. After all I'd been through the past few days, I wasn't sure if other monsters were lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. "I'd feel safer if you saw me in."

"Sure, sure," he answered, not even waiting for me to exit the car. He practically leaped from the car and began walking toward the front door. The car door forcefully slammed behind him.

I locked my evening bag under my arm and followed him toward the house, fumbling with my keys to find the correct one in the dim glow of the porch light. Thankfully, it had stopped raining for the moment. I had seen my share of rain that night to last a lifetime.

After I opened the door, we were both startled by the sound of the phone ringing in the kitchen. I placed a hand over my heart in ultimate relief, throwing my bag down, and headed toward the kitchen.

"Hello," I spoke into the handset, pulling it up to my ear. It was one of those antique rotary dial phones; Charlie had refused to get rid of a 'perfectly good phone' when my parents had bought him a cordless one for Christmas several years ago.

"Ness? I've been worried sick," Charlie's voice responded, concern permeating his tenor. "I tried calling you on your cell. Where have you been?"

"Sorry, Charlie." I looked over at Jacob, who was now leaning against the counter near the sink, his eyes focused on the floor. "My cell battery died."

"Forks does have payphones, you know," Charlie said a little condescendingly.

"I know, Charlie. Sorry to make you worry, but I'm home now," I assured him, turning my back to Jacob.

"How was your date?" my grandfather chuckled. "Did he take you to La Push?"

A chill ran down my spine. Had he seen us head toward La Push? Did he see Jacob's car parked outside the ice cream shop?

"N-no." I spun around, staring wide-eyed at Jacob, panic beginning to overtake me. "Um…we stayed here in Forks, went out to dinner…drove around town."

Jacob worriedly met my eyes, his lips tightening. His jaw began to clench.

"Well, you can tell me all about it later. I'm staying here at the station for a couple more hours," Charile said, sighing. "Go ahead and get some sleep, sweetheart."

"Okay, Charlie. I will." I began to hang up the phone, when I heard Charlie say something else.

"I love you, Ness."

I brought the handset back to my ear, half-smiling. "Love you too, Charlie."

Placing the phone back on the receiver, I walked over to Jacob and stood opposite him. I tilted backward, resting my back against the wooden dinner table.

"Charlie's not going to be back for a few hours," I informed him, placing my palms on the table top to steady myself.

"We should get you out of those clothes then," Jacob said softly.

My heart jumped in my chest. Did he just say what I thought he said?

"Excuse me?" I bit my lip and looked up at him.

"No." He laughed for the first time since we'd left First Beach, sauntering across the kitchen toward me. "What I meant was—we should get you into some dry clothes."

"Oh." I took a breath, part of me secretly hoping it would have been what I originally thought. My eyes raked over his ruined leather jacket, soaked in rainwater. "I think I can find some of Charlie's old clothes for you to change into, too."

We exchanged an uncomfortable glance, and I cleared my throat, pushing off the table, then made my way out of the kitchen. Jacob followed close behind me as I took the stairs up to Charlie's room.

Once inside my grandfather's bedroom, I knelt by his oversized dresser and dug into the bottom drawer. Charlie kept all his old flannels and worn-out jeans there, and I emerged seconds later with a selection of each for Jacob to put on.

"Here you go. You can change in here," I told Jacob, handing him some of Charlie's castoffs. "The flannel should fit you; it's a couple of sizes too big for Charlie…a birthday gift from my Uncle Emmett, who wouldn't know how to dress someone if he tried, unlike his sister, Alice, of course."

"Ah, Emmett." Jacob took the clothes from my hands, pulling them to his chest. "How is the big oaf these days?"

"Good," I replied as Jacob closed the door to my grandfather's bedroom, leaving it cracked about an inch. "He and Rosalie are living in Seattle."

"Still doing the sports agent gig?" I heard Jacob ask, his voice sounding distant behind the wooden door. I then heard the sound of his pants dropping to the floor.

"Yeah, um…he represents one of the Seahawks. The quarterback, I think." I loudly gulped, desiring nothing more than to take just one tiny peek behind the door.

I uneasily played with the gold locket around my neck, running it back and forth over the fine chain as a distraction. The locket had been a gift from my mother for my first Christmas. It had always remained around my neck; nothing had changed except for the length of the chain, which had grown as I blossomed into a young woman. It stood as a long-lasting reminder of the love my parents held for me. Holding it now in my palm made me feel somewhat confused and angry—angry that their murderer had still been alive all these years.

"Well, good for him," Jacob replied.

The distinct sound of jeans being zipped up emanated from the room, waking me from my thoughts about my parents.

I huffed and curiously peered through the slight opening in the door only to see Jacob, shirtless, his beautiful copper skin glistening in the moonlight shining in from the window.

My eyes scanned over the tone of his pec muscles, his abs, his perfectly-sculpted biceps, and I could barely think straight. A black, circular tattoo branded his right shoulder, and I reasoned from the intricate detailing that it was probably related to his tribal life.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," Jacob's voice abruptly woke me from my drool session. His thick lips morphed into a smirk.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." I felt my cheeks flush with heat.

"It's okay, Ness." Jacob laughed, slipping his arms into the flannel shirt, and began to fasten the buttons. He walked toward the door and flung it open, holding his hands out at his sides. "How do I look?"

"I think you look great," I said coyly. Even in flannel, he was still the most beautiful man I had ever seen. I leaned in to adjust his collar slightly, looking up at his striking brown eyes. "Green's a good color for you."

"Your favorite color, right?" He turned up an eyebrow.

"Right." My smile widened, and I peered down at the floor. "I think I'll go change now."

After replacing my wet clothes with a t-shirt and jeans, I headed from my room back towards the stairs, when I noticed a stream of light coming from my mother's old bedroom. Slowly, I walked toward the door, pressing my hand to the doorknob, and peeked into the room.

"Jake?" I spoke into the stillness of the room.

He was standing by my mother's vanity, a childhood picture of him and my mother clutched in his right palm. I had only seen that picture maybe once or twice my entire life. My mother couldn't have been more than ten years old when it was taken.

"Oh, sorry." Jacob hastily replaced the picture on the shelf above the vanity and turned toward me. "Just visiting some old ghosts."

"Yeah, I know the feeling." I sat down on the bed, invitingly patting the area next to me.

Jacob joined me on the bed, running his hands down the length of his face, and sighed.

"I can't believe your parents' murderer was still alive after all these years," Jacob fretted, gripping his hands together. He hung his head between his knees. "They found the guy's dead body in the car, even matched his dental records. It just doesn't make any sense to me."

I thought about what he said for a moment, and then suggested, "Unless he set someone up to make it look like he did it. He could have switched the dental records with his own."

"Why would he do that, though? What did your parents ever do to him?" Jacob's eyes flew up, attending to the picture across the room. "Why would he want them dead? And why would he want to hurt _you_?"

"I don't know, Jake." I sighed exhaustedly, resting my head on his right shoulder, and fingered the locket about my neck. My parents' death had now become a complete mystery to me. "Maybe there was something about my parents, something I never knew."

"Your parents were never ones to keep secrets, Ness," Jacob said, placing his head on top of mine. Then, he was really quiet for several seconds.

"Still, I can't help but wonder if they were hiding something." My mind began running through every possibility. Could they have been drug dealers? Secret agents? Officers of the FBI or CIA? There was really no way of knowing. They had died, taking whatever secrets they held with them to the grave.

"Ness, they loved you more than their own lives." Jacob reached up and ran his opposite hand over my cheek, caressing it tenderly. "They would've never kept any secrets from Charlie that would've put them or you in danger."

"Do you really believe that?" I asked, raising my head from his shoulder, his hand still transfixed on my cheek.

Spying my necklace, Jacob took the locket from my fingers with both hands and gently opened it. The first family portrait of my parents and me came into view, as well as the inscription on the right side: _More than my own life_.

"Yes, I do." Jacob's deep brown eyes seemed to be mesmerized by mine. He never deflected his gaze once. Shutting the locket, he returned his hand to my cheek.

"Thank you, Jake, for everything." I closed my eyes, savoring the warmth of his hand on my face. "You saved me twice. I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life."

"I'm afraid I've done more harm than good," Jacob confessed, gliding his thumb endearingly over my lips. "If and when they find the body…God only knows what will happen from there."

"I'll be here, Jake. Right by your side." I kissed his thumb as it swept over my lips for the second time. "We're in this together."

"That's what I'm mostly afraid of," he said, disheartened. "You've got your whole life ahead of you, and now I've gone and fucked it up, making you an accessory to murder."

"Jake, you haven't fucked it up." I leaned in toward his lips. "Meeting you was the best thing that could've ever happened to me."

Jacob drew in a sharp breath.

"Listen, Ness." He casually turned his head, denying me the kiss I so urgently wanted and _needed _at that moment. His hand promptly dropped from my cheek. "I think it's best that we kept our distance for now."

"What?" I instantly felt broken. "Why?"

"You're only here until the end of the week, right?" He stood up from the bed, walking toward my mother's old vanity, where his wet clothes now rested. "It would be wrong of me to lead you on."

"Jake, no!" I jumped up from the bed, grabbing onto his arm in pleading desperation. "I want this. I really do!"

"Ness, I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe it's better if we just put tonight behind us." Jacob didn't meet my eyes as he spoke, forcibly removing my hand from his arm. He took the damp clothes into his palms and spun around, heading for the stairs.

The pounding of his boots against the wood of the stairs was the worst sound I had ever heard. I hurried after him, stopping on the last step as he turned back to me, a stern look on his face.

"Thanks for the clothes. I'll bring them back tomorrow when Charlie's at work and leave them on the doorstep." He dejectedly reached for the doorknob, sighing. "Goodbye, Ness."

And just like that, Jacob Black walked out the front door and subsequently out of my life.

**Attn: Thoughts? What do you think really happened the night of her parents' accident? What do you think will happen next? Thanks so much for reading and please review! Reviewers get teased. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Dreamcatcher

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing,_

_Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_

_~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 5: Dreamcatcher**

**Renesmee's POV**

_I stood in the midst of a thick forest. Lush evergreen trees spread out before me, and a light mist hovered around me like a thin blanket. Up ahead in the distance, I caught fleeting glimpses of a figure moving in and out of the shadows. The figure seemed to be drawing closer to me with each blurred movement between the trees. My heart began to thump more rapidly in my chest, the feeling of trepidation surmounting in my mind._

_I immediately turned to run, but my legs didn't respond. They felt trapped in the soil and grass beneath them, almost as if I'd suddenly stumbled into a patch of quicksand._

_"No!" I screamed into the desolate forest, trying to make my immovable legs yield to my commands. "Help me!"_

_"There's no one to help you now, Ness," a callous voice grimly whispered, and I felt a cold hand grip the back of my neck. The voice was indescribable; I couldn't tell if it belonged to a man or woman. "No one…except me."_

_"No!" I cried, feeling the grip tighten around the base of my neck. I gasped for air as my eyes began to bulge from the force of the figure's strong hands. "No!"_

_I shot up in my bed, letting the covers fall from around my shoulders. I looked straight ahead, and realized it had all been a dream. There was no forest, no dark figure suffocating me to death; I was now safe and sound in my own bed._

_"Ness?"_

_I turned my head to acknowledge the voice, only to see Jacob standing by my bed, his gorgeous brown eyes peering down at me. A smile broke across my lips._

_"Have a bad dream?" he asked, mirroring my grin._

_"Jake! You came back?" I was so happy to see him, I answered his question with another._

_"Of course I came back for you, Ness." Jacob slid onto the bed beside me, cradling my cheek in his right palm. His gaze then focused on my lips._

_Tilting his head toward me, Jacob lightly pressed his lips to mine. I placed my hand on the back of his head, deepening the kiss and forcing my tongue into his mouth._

_"Mmm," he murmured against my lips, jerking my waist toward him, and laying me down against the pillows._

_Stripping the covers out from under me, Jacob climbed on top of me. I immediately pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, yanking it over his head. After I tossed his shirt haphazardly onto the floor, his soft lips returned to mine._

_Suddenly, Jacob began to choke, and his whole body trembled as if he were in horrible, writhing pain._

_"Jake!" I called to him._

_Jacob fell back onto the foot of the bed, shrieking at the top of his lungs. His body violently thrashed back and forth on the mattress. He then clawed his fingers across his chest, as if trying to scratch away an unrelenting itch. I quickly gripped the headboard, getting as far away from him as I could. My heart ached, seeing him in such terrifying pain. I felt almost helpless as I watched him continue to suffer the torment of some unseen force._

_Then, just as soon as it had begun, Jacob collapsed against the sheets. His limbs went limp, his dark brown eyes stared out into nothingness._

_"Jake?" I cried, crawling across the bed to meet him._

_As I climbed on top of him, I watched in horror as his face instantaneously burst into thousands of flesh-eating maggots. I screamed, placing my hands on either side of my face, and forcibly tugged at my copper hair…_

"Ness! Wake up, sweetheart," a calming voice soon roused me from my nightmare.

My eyes flew open and blinked, noticing Charlie as he sat beside me on the bed. I sighed in relief, and took in his worried expression.

"Another nightmare?" he questioned, frowning beneath his gray mustache.

"Yeah," I simply answered, raising my head from the comfort of my pillow.

"Same one?" Charlie's eyebrows lifted, his eyes staring intently into mine. He knew more about my nightmares than anyone. In the months following my parents' death, he had been there many a night to console me after I'd woken up screaming until my voice was hoarse.

"Yeah, something like that." I shrugged, remembering the horrifying experience I'd had the night before. It had been almost a year since my sleep had been interrupted by such merciless dreams. Now, knowing some of the truth behind my parents' untimely death, they seemed to have invaded my peaceful slumber once again.

"Well, it's over now." He kissed me on the forehead and patted me lightly on the shoulder, standing up from the bed. As he walked toward the door, he added with a chuckle, "By the way, you have a visitor downstairs."

"What?" I asked, immediately throwing back the covers and climbing out of my bed.

Charlie didn't answer, just continued to laugh as he made his way back down the stairs.

Turning to my suitcase, I immediately threw on a low-cut top and skinny jeans. I knew Jacob had returned with the clothes he'd borrowed last night. I was so excited to see him, I didn't even care I hadn't brushed my teeth or applied any makeup. Grabbing my ballet flats, I hurriedly dusted off the mud from the soles and exited my room. I swiftly slipped them on my bare feet, hopping on the opposite foot, as I reached the top of the stairs.

Glancing down into the foyer, I felt my heart crash within my chest as my eyes recognized who was standing at the bottom. It was Nahuel. SHIT!

"Ness!" Nahuel called to me as I stood apprehensively on the top step. He looked absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, wearing a gray, fitted t-shirt over black trousers. His shoulder-length black hair fell about his face, accentuating his cheekbones.

No matter how much I wanted to run down to him, I couldn't make my legs move; I was so disappointed he wasn't Jacob Black.

"Well, are you coming down to see me or what?" Nahuel's smile beamed up at me.

His words made me snap out of my discontent, and I flew down the stairs and into his waiting arms. Nahuel scooped me up and spun me around, hugging me tightly against his chest.

"I've missed you," he said, kissing the tip of my nose as he set my feet on the floor. I smiled, delighting in his joy to see me again. I had to admit; part of me had missed him, too. I did love him, after all.

"What are you doing here, Nahuel?" I boldly asked, and watched his smile flip upside down.

"What? I can't visit my girl if I want?" He pinched my chin and crinkled his nose, the smile returning to his face.

"No, it's just—I thought you were in South America." I tried to mask my agitation that he'd shown up on my grandfather's doorstep without informing me first.

"Well, my flight was delayed and then _delayed _some more. I didn't feel like waiting at the airport anymore, so I rented a car and came to see you instead," Nahuel explained, his arms still wrapped around my waist. "I tried calling, but I couldn't get you on your cell."

"Yeah, it's um…out of commission," I said with a frown, remembering Jacob's strong hands as they'd crushed my cell phone in two.

A rush of sadness suddenly swept over me. Nahuel probably wouldn't be going back to Seattle for a few days. I had hoped when Jacob came back to return Charlie's clothes that I would be able to convince him that we should at least give our relationship another try.

"Ness, aren't you glad I'm here? You act like you're disappointed I came." Nahuel's familiar accent held a trace of irritation as he pulled me closer.

"I'm just a little surprised. That's all," I quickly answered him, replacing the frown on my face with a smile.

"Well, I have to head out to the station," Charlie interrupted, entering the foyer in his police uniform.

Shivers ran up and down my spine at his words. Had they found James' body?

"Emergency case?" I asked my grandfather nonchalantly, swallowing the uncomfortable lump in my throat.

"No, Mac's wife is in the hospital. Duty calls," Charlie relieved my fears, eyeing Nahuel's hands that were still circled around my hips. The expression on his face seemed a little smug, as if he was getting a kick out of seeing me with Nahuel, when I'd just had a date with Jacob the night before. "It was uh…_nice _meeting you, Nahuel."

"You, too, Mr. Swan," Nahuel said, after simultaneously clearing his throat and releasing me.

"That's _Chief _Swan to you," my grandfather jokingly retorted, giving me a slight wink.

"Charlie!" I exclaimed incredulously. I couldn't believe he was being so rude to Nahuel.

"Sorry." Charlie laughed and held up his hands in surrender, turning toward the front door. "You kids have fun."

Nahuel and I both watched as Charlie exited the house and got into his police cruiser.

"I don't think he likes me too much," Nahuel nervously observed, running both hands through his black locks. I heard the engine rev, and then the sound of Charlie's car pull out of the driveway.

"Charlie's just being protective," I told him, wanting nothing more than for him to just leave. I knew he'd come all that way just to see me, but his presence would only prove detrimental to my plans in developing a relationship with Jacob.

"Yeah, well, he did pull a shotgun on me when he answered the door." Nahuel playfully winked at me.

"He did not!" I slapped him on the shoulder, and he pulled me back to him, slinking his arms around my waist again.

"Ah, now, where were we?" Nahuel's nose tickled the side of my cheek as he whispered softly in my ear. Tantalizing tremors shot throughout my body at the sensation of his lips ghosting my neck.

I peered up at him, desire blazing in my eyes, and he slowly ran his lips along my jaw line to unite with mine.

_Knock, knock. _The thudded noise resounded from the front door, startling us both. Nahuel's lips paused just above my mouth, his eyes darting toward the door.

"Hold that thought." I pushed Nahuel back slightly and made my way to the door. My heart fell in my chest for the second time, for I knew who would be standing behind it when I answered.

"Jake," I said as I opened the door. I crossed the threshold, using the door to block his view of Nahuel. "What are you doing here?"

Jacob stood there in the doorway, a strained look on his face, holding up the clothes he'd borrowed. He was wearing a black t-shirt over jeans, and his usual army boots. All the disappointment over Nahuel's sudden appearance soon dissipated with just one look at Jacob.

"I told you I'd bring back Charlie's things," Jacob said, handing the clothes over to me.

"Thanks, Jake." I smiled uneasily at him, clutching the bundle of flannel and denim to my chest.

"Who's this?" The door opened behind me, and Nahuel wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, kissing me on the top of my head.

Jacob's brown eyes narrowed when he saw Nahuel's blatant display of affection. The muscles of his neck immediately tensed.

"This is Jacob Black, um…a family friend," I stammered out the words, shooting Jacob an apologetic look.

"Yeah, I'm a _family _friend all right," Jacob harshly said, gritting his teeth as he extended his hand to shake Nahuel's.

"Nice to meet you, Jacob." Nahuel shook Jacob's hand and instantly coiled his hand back around my waist, claiming me. "I'm Ness' boyfriend, Nahuel."

"You don't say." Jacob's eyes widened, darting from Nahuel to me and then back again. He pressed his lips into a hard line.

"Nahuel, can you give Jacob and me a minute?" I asked, prying Nahuel's arms from around me.

"Sure." Nahuel looked completely dumbfounded, but obliged me, leaving the two of us alone on the doorstep.

When my boyfriend was gone, I guiltily held my head down and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the wooden door behind me.

Jacob turned toward the street, placing both hands on the top of his head.

"Jake, I don't-" I timidly began, but he irately cut me off.

"Who the HELL is that?" he bellowed into my face, enraged.

"It's not what you think," I lied through my teeth, blinking away the tears that had started to rim my eyes.

"One hundred percent single, huh?" Jacob's angry voice soared over me like a clap of thunder. He released a fake laugh and vehemently shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.

"Jake, please-"

"Just like your mother," he spat before storming down the stairs and to his waiting bike. The comment cut me deep, yet I wouldn't grasp the full connotation until much later.

I ran after him as he mounted his motorcycle and heftily revved the engine. I paused cautiously at the end of the driveway, watching his body shake with the vibrations of the powerful machine.

"I brought you this to make amends for last night," Jacob yelled over the roar of the engine, pulling something from his right pocket. He held it up in the morning sunlight, allowing me to get a better view. The handmade object was circular in shape, with several strings of colorful beads hanging from the center. It was a dreamcatcher.

"It's beautiful, Jake," I said, reaching for the gift. How did he know that I'd had bad dreams the night before? I instantly regretted lying to him about Nahuel.

"Doesn't matter now," he replied crossly, darting his eyes from mine, and pitched the dreamcatcher onto the lawn like a baseball. "Have fun with lover boy."

He gave me a heated glare, loudly revving the engine one last time before releasing the clutch and speeding onto the pavement. I felt defeated as I watched his motorcycle disappear around the bend in the road.

"What was that all about?" Nahuel's voice startled me from behind, and I felt his arms slip around my shoulders.

"Nothing," I said, giving him a curt smile. "Let's go back inside."

As we turned to head back into the house, I reached down and retrieved Jacob's dreamcatcher from amongst the blades of grass, cupping it between my hands to keep it concealed from Nahuel's wandering eyes.

* * *

**Jacob's POV**

I'd been fucking had! The rage that burned inside me couldn't be described, as I pounded the pavement on my Harley toward my home in La Push. I just couldn't begin to comprehend how fucking blind I'd been to fall for the same old charade. Nessie Cullen had come into my life after years of pining for her mother, and she did the exact same thing Bella had done when we were in high school. She used me and threw me away with yesterday's trash. I was getting tired of all this bullshit!

Yet, in the midst of my anger, I couldn't quite shake the memory of Ness' pouty lips caressing mine, her small frame pressed into my own. Her soft lips felt so warm, so right, so unlike her mother's, I'd almost felt as if I'd finally be able to let Bella go after all these years.

After my mom, Sarah, had died in a car crash when I was ten, Bella had been there for me, a constant presence to a heartbroken kid. My diabetic father, Billy, had been confined to a wheelchair shortly afterward, and it was the job of my twin sisters and me to take care of him. Rachel and Rebecca were still in high school and had to take on after school jobs to help cover the expense of looking after my father, as well as the surmounting bills that never seemed to be paid in full or on time.

Bella was always there for me; she was my best friend through thick and thin. As we matured into teenagers, I realized my true feelings for her, which were much more than just platonic. I'd sometimes fantasize about us making love together in the woods beside my favorite creek. Sometimes, we were even in the water, her long brown hair flowing down her back as I drove into her for hours on end against a large boulder. I'd spend nights awake in bed, imagining her straddling me, her small breasts bouncing just above my lips, as I jerked myself off to some lame porno mag.

When I'd finally mustered up enough courage to profess my love for her, to my detriment, Bella had begun dating a new senior from Alaska, Edward Cullen. Oh, how I'd despised the very existence of that shiny-Volvo-driving prick! In one swift movement, he'd singlehandedly swooped in and ripped Bella from me before I could even tell her my true feelings.

Not that I'd owned her, but Bella was rightfully mine to begin with; we'd shared so much, known each other on such an intimate level, and had been best friends ever since I could remember. How dare he come into Forks and mark his territory, when it had already been claimed!

Our rivalry for Bella's affections became so heated, I'd crashed their senior prom. Highly intoxicated, I'd stormed into the school's gym through the menagerie of tacky crepe paper and balloons, and forcibly pried their bodies apart from each other. Edward immediately had lunged at me, hitting me directly below my right eye. I'd retaliated by grabbing the lapel of his tuxedo jacket with both hands and hurling him into the refreshment table. The action sent the punchbowl sailing into several unsuspecting couples seated on the bleachers.

We continued to pummel each other until Charlie Swan and his deputy arrived and yanked us apart. I sat, sulking, on the bleachers with a bag of ice held to my bloody lip as I overheard Edward's father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, inform Charlie he wouldn't be pressing any charges.

The last vivid memory I held of that night was Bella's beautiful face, stained with tears, as she told me she never wanted to see me again. As I watched her walk away from me, I'd secretly wished Dr. Cullen had pressed charges; at least I would have been in a real jail cell, not in my own personal hell without Bella in my life.

My heart had ached for weeks after that night, even more so when I'd found out through my father that Bella was pregnant. I'd finally realized I could never have her; she was unattainable. She had moved on with her life…with _him_.

It was then that Angela Weber came into my life. The daughter of a Lutheran minister, Angela had always had a slight crush on me, even though she was the same age as Bella-two years older than I. She was beautiful, with her plump lips, straight brown hair that hung past her shoulders, and infectious smile. She even wore lavender glasses that accentuated her chocolate-tinted eyes throughout most of her high school days. Her affections toward me were insanely genuine, and Angela was ever so willing to help in mending my broken heart.

One night, during the summer after Bella and Edward had married and were awaiting the birth of their first child, I'd taken Angela up on her offer for a date, and ended up sleeping with her in the backseat of my Rabbit. It was the first time for both of us, somewhat awkward and not to mention rather brief, but it helped to lessen the sting of not having Bella in my life.

We'd continued to date for the next two years, and moved in together after I graduated from the Quileute Tribal School. Well, Angela had moved in with my dad and me. My sister, Rachel, had eloped with her long-time boyfriend, Paul, a fellow Quileute, and had moved with him to Port Angeles when he was promoted to foreman at his construction company. Her twin, Rebecca, went to live with some surfer in Hawaii she'd met in college, despite my father's adamant objections. Needless to say, with both of my sisters out of the house, I was left to take care of my wheelchair-ridden father all by myself. At least I had Angela to keep me company on those cold, lonely nights.

To say life wasn't easy with Angela would be an understatement. Several years after we'd been living together, she demanded that we finally tie the knot and have the family she'd always dreamed about. I'd refused her request time and time again, telling her that I just wasn't ready. We'd usually fight after that, and I'd leave in a huff to take up a job at the garage, or to kick back a few beers with Quil and Embry. My boys understood me and my twenty-four-year-old brain at the time. They too weren't ready for family life, even though Quil married his childhood sweetheart, Claire, that very same year. I knew deep down in my heart Angela and I just weren't meant to be together for the long haul.

Angela and I had been living together six years when she decided to leave me. I stood on the porch, watching her load box after box into her father's Ford pickup, leaning against one of the posts. She gave me a forced smile as she walked up to me to tell me goodbye. I leaned in, grabbing her by the waist, and kissed her passionately one last time. She broke apart from my lips, looking up at me with tears in her eyes, and then left me standing all alone on my father's porch.

Angela didn't stay gone for long. She would return several times over the next ten years. We would kiss, make love, and then part ways again. We had come to an understanding that what we shared was something we couldn't deny, yet we couldn't acknowledge it, either. It was complicated, to say the least, but we kept it casual enough so no one's feelings were hurt in the process. '_No strings attached' _to use her words so bluntly.

Angela became even more important to my wretched existence when I'd heard of Bella's death a few days after my thirty-fourth birthday. I'd angrily made love to Angela, vividly picturing Bella as my eyes poured mournful tears for the life I'd never had with her. If Bella had stayed in Forks and married me, maybe she would still be alive.

When I turned thirty-eight, the chief of the Quileute tribe, Harry Clearwater, passed away after suffering a massive heart attack. Since Harry's son, Seth, had married and moved away from La Push, my father Billy was next in line to obtain the title. However, Dad soon had his first of many strokes, and the tribal council decided to offer me the honor of leading my tribe. I took it without hesitation, telling Angela I couldn't continue seeing her anymore.

"Is that you, Jacob?" my father called to me as I entered the back door to our house.

"Yes, Dad," I answered, tossing my keys on the kitchen counter, and moving over to the fridge. I opened the door and retrieved a beer from the bottom drawer, twisting off the top with my right hand. "I'll be in here if you need me."

I slumped back against the counter, my mind rehashing the events of the previous night. I had taken Ness out for a dinner date and a walk along the beach, when something went terribly wrong. As I was getting us both ice cream, she had been attacked for the second time by the same assailant. I knew he had intended on raping her and stripping away her innocence, which I was not going to let happen.

I'd flown out of the store, grabbing the first weapon I could find, a piece of scrap wood by the store's side entrance. I stormed up to the worthless bastard and just started wailing on him with the board. Something inside me just snapped, and I couldn't stop. I wanted him to pay for all the hurt he'd shown Ness over the past few days, all the mental torment she had suffered.

When I was finally sane enough to realize what had happened, I knew we needed to dispose of the body. I didn't want Ness or me to have to face the horror of a trial, and the jail time that would soon follow. So I had her help me lift his dead body into my Rabbit and dispose of it over the cliffs in La Push.

I'd despised myself for what I'd done—ending someone's life, someone who probably didn't deserve it. For all I knew, he could have been a recovering sex addict. Maybe Daddy loved him a little too much when he was younger. I didn't have one fucking clue.

However, as we later discovered, to my surprise and utter terror, he was the very man who had hit and killed Edward and Bella the night of their seventeen-year anniversary.

My hands shook violently as I brought the ice-cold bottle up to my lips. As the bitter liquid washed over my tongue, I flinchingly thought about the ramifications of my hasty actions, and what that might mean for my future with the tribe. More importantly, I agonized over what it meant for Ness' future.

_Ness_. The image of her gorgeous brown eyes flickered like a flame within my mind. I'd never before felt the way I did when I was with her. It was as if I'd finally been revived from a lifetime of sleep; she was an angel who had come to rescue me from the lie that had become my life. She was someone who could permanently make me whole. Now I'd gone and fucked it all up!

I angrily threw the bottle of beer into the wall beside the refrigerator, remembering the face of her so-called boyfriend, Nahuel. The brown bottle burst into tiny shards of glass and fizz, tumbling to the floor below. Placing my head in my hands, I couldn't believe Ness had lied to me about having a significant other. I'd even made her a dreamcatcher as an offering, hoping she would forgive me for leaving so rudely the night before. I'd found someone who made me feel whole at long last, only to find out she'd been dishonest with me. It only fueled the rage I felt as it rippled down my spine.

"Someone's in a bad mood," I heard a familiar voice through the screen door. It was Angela. I had obviously forgotten to shut the main door when I came into the house.

"Ang, what are you doing here?" I didn't even look up from my position at the kitchen counter. Even though we'd ended our relationship several months ago, she still found it acceptable to show up unannounced on occasion. "I told you it was over."

"Yeah, well, it looks like you could use some company," she coyly replied, letting herself into the house and sauntering over to me. She linked her arms around my waist, and I sighed, looking away. "I saw you went to Charlie Swan's house earlier today. I heard his granddaughter's home from college this week."

Angela sexily kissed the hollow at the base of my neck, a gesture I would have welcomed months ago, but things had changed between us. Somehow, my subconscious knew that Ness would later come into my life. _Ness _had become that change.

"Got a thing for the Chief's granddaughter, Jake?" Angela glanced up at me with knowing eyes, a Cheshire grin stretched across her lips.

"That's none of your business, Ang." I pried her arms from around my waist, shoving her out from between my legs.

"Remind you of someone, does she?" She leaned against the sink, folding her arms across her chest. The action made her round breasts more noticeable beneath the scoop neck top she was wearing. I had to force myself to look away, or I might have done something I would have regretted later.

"You may leave now." I ignored what she'd said, walked over to the screen door, and held it open for her to exit. "Run along back home to Ben."

"Fine then," Angela huffed at the reminder of her live-in, alcoholic boyfriend, pushing off the counter. She brushed past me as she headed out the door. "You just remember, Jacob Black. Who loved you when Bella didn't, huh? Who cared for you when that heartless bitch didn't give a damn!" Her forefinger dug into my chest. "Remember that."

The screen door slammed as she marched down the few steps to her car. I watched her get into her 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, the one I'd rebuilt for her five years ago, and zoom out of the gravel driveway, kicking up a cloud of dirt as she went. Hopefully, this time she'd leave for good.

I immediately sank back against the wall, sliding all the way to the linoleum floor. Gripping the short strands of my hair, I quickly forgot about the incident with Angela. With a murder now on my hands, and the unknown circumstances surrounding Bella and Edward's death, I knew I was beginning to lose my sanity.

The only person who could help me now was the one I'd just dismissed several minutes ago. The soft, tender glow of Ness' smile soon entered my mind, and I knew I had to seek her out again.

**Attn: So, how hot is Jacob right now? LOL! Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. Thanks as always for reading! :) The plot thickens next!**_  
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	6. Chapter 6: Need

**__**

*****Warning: This chapter contains adult themes.*****

* * *

_"Never a lip is curved with pain_

_That can't be kissed into smile again."_

_~ Brete Harte_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 6: Need**

**Renesmee's POV**

"Ness, are you feeling okay?" Nahuel's voice echoed within the chambers of my mind.

I stared vacantly down at the cheeseburger and greasy fries on my plate, wholly consumed by the thoughts of the previous night. I just couldn't purge those piercing, haunting blue eyes from my waking dreams. Those eyes now belonged to a dead man. The weight of Jacob's and my actions had come crashing down upon me as I sat with Nahuel at the Carver Diner over lunch.

_What. Had. We. Done?_

The silent question repeated itself over and over again inside my brain, almost driving me completely mad.

I could feel all eyes on me, though I didn't dare to look up from the table. It would be only a matter of time before someone discovered James' body, and then everyone would know our little secret. I would have to face the horror of seeing Jacob on trial for murder. All for protecting my honor. I just couldn't bear to see anyone go to jail for defending me, even if the bastard deserved to die for killing my parents. I gritted my teeth together, willing the surmounting fear to flee from within my being.

"Ness?" A hand landed atop mine, the soft fingertips running gently over my knuckles. "You haven't even touched your food. Is something wrong?"

I jumped, blinking my brown eyes, and looked up at Nahuel's forlorn face. His deep-set, golden brown eyes worryingly peered back at me. I inhaled deeply, and relaxed against the cushion of the booth.

"I just have a lot on my mind," I said, picking up a French fry and forcing it into my mouth. It was void of any taste, but I continued to chew and swallow to appease my boyfriend.

"Worried about mid-terms?" Nahuel hopefully questioned, taking a sip of his soda. He then resumed stroking my knuckles with his right hand. "I hear Dr. Bowman's exam can be quite a bear."

"No, it's not that," I admitted, and glanced out the window through the blinds to the diner's parking lot. My eyes fell on the very spot where I'd parked my truck last Saturday night. The chilling memory of James' breath on my neck sent waves of goose bumps over my skin, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

"Ness, please tell me what's wrong," Nahuel pleaded almost nervously, encompassing my left palm with both of his strong hands.

I tore my gaze away from the pavement outside and glanced up at Nahuel's searching eyes. In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, to confess that I'd helped Jacob dispose of a dead man's body, a life he'd ended in an attempt to safeguard me from harm. A part of me knew that Nahuel would understand. I envisioned him wrapping his comforting arms around me, letting me sob onto his shoulder until my eyes were dry.

However, another part of me knew he'd be angry for what I'd done. Nahuel would demand that I go straight to the police station and tell Charlie everything that had transpired that night. Nahuel would have done everything within his power to make sure the blame was placed solely on Jacob for the crime. Judging from the way he'd acted after Jacob brought back Charlie's clothes, I knew he suspected something had occurred between Jacob and me.

_Jacob_. My heart leapt at the thought of his beautiful brown eyes. He had reacted so harshly to seeing me with Nahuel that morning. I knew I should have told him about my boyfriend from the start. I had tried to convince myself that since Nahuel was supposed to be in South America over Spring Break, Jacob would be none the wiser. I had been foolish enough to think he wouldn't find out.

Then, Nahuel showed up on Charlie's doorstep, just as Jacob returned to apologize for leaving so abruptly the night before. My heart ached with the knowledge that he was angry about the situation with Nahuel; most importantly, the fact that I had lied to him. It was something I had to fix, no matter how much pleading and begging I'd have to do to win back his trust. Jacob now had my heart, and I couldn't deny the feelings that rushed over me when I was with him.

"Nahuel, it's just h-hard being back in Forks...you know, being reminded of my parents all the time," I lied. In actuality, there was some truth to that statement. Having been bombarded with countless remarks over the past few days on how much I resembled my parents was enough to last a lifetime. Not to mention, I had to sleep next door to my mother's room, which had been forever preserved by Charlie in her memory.

"Oh, Ness, I never thought of that." Nahuel reached up and cupped my left cheek in his palm as a small tear escaped from the eye above it. "If you want, we can get out of here-maybe go into Port Angeles on a day trip, just you and me."

I sighed against his hand. What I really wanted was to run to my truck and speed away toward La Push. I wanted to be in Jacob's strong arms once again. It was so cowardly of me. Nahuel deserved someone so much better than me; he deserved a soul mate. My feelings toward him had drastically changed since I'd met Jacob, and I knew we weren't meant to be together. I hated myself for even thinking that notion, but I couldn't lie to myself any longer either.

"I think that'd be great," I gave in with a smile and told Nahuel what he wanted to hear. Maybe some time away from Forks would do me good.

"Great," Nahuel said, his bright smile beaming from ear to ear. "I'll go pay for our food, and we'll head out."

With one last reassuring squeeze of my hand, Nahuel slid out of the booth and walked up to the counter to pay for our meal. I leaned back against the red cushion, staring out the window once again.

I had to find some way to get rid of Nahuel over the next few days and return to La Push. I had to find some way to see Jacob Black and tell him I was sorry. Only then would my restless heart find peace. Only then would I feel whole again.

* * *

After an afternoon of window shopping, a matinee movie, and dinner in Port Angeles, Nahuel and I returned to Forks just shy of eleven that night. I had to admit; I'd thoroughly enjoyed myself, being in the presence of my boyfriend. Even if I didn't feel genuine romantic love toward him anymore, Nahuel was still my best friend.

Nahuel reached for my hand as we walked up the few steps to Charlie's front door. I obliged and slid my hand into his, knowing full well what he expected once we were behind closed doors. We had the house completely to ourselves. Charlie was still at the station, and would remain there until morning.

I didn't know whether I was needy or just completely heartless, but something in my gut wanted to make love to Nahuel. Maybe it would make me forget all about Jacob Black and leave my feelings for him behind me like a faded photograph. Then again, maybe it would make me want him more, wondering how it would feel to have Jacob inside me instead of Nahuel. I cursed myself for even thinking such eroded thoughts.

Once I'd unlocked the door, Nahuel playfully pulled me inside, throwing me up against the wall of the foyer, his lips searching for my neck. I groaned as he pressed his erection against my waist, and felt my breath hitch in my throat. His hands trailed down the sides of my torso, toying with the hem of my skirt.

I leaned my head back, closing my eyes and feeling the need for him grow stronger between my legs. Nahuel's hands ran up my skirt and slid underneath the fabric of my panties, cupping my ass with both palms.

"Oh, God, I've wanted you all day," Nahuel desirously breathed against my neck, sending waves of delight to my core.

I lifted myself up so that I could enclose my legs around his waist. Locking my legs in place, I hissed as my pulsating heat grazed his hardened member.

As Nahuel continued to trace the line of my décolletage with his lips, my mind began to wander. Nahuel slowly faded from view, and Jacob suddenly came into sharp focus. I could vividly picture Jacob in between my legs, his lips on my chest, his warm hands pressed against my bottom.

Just the notion sent a heightened ripple of desire careening over my body, and I screamed out, "Yes, Jake! Don't stop!"

Nahuel instantly froze beneath me, his hands dropping to his sides.

"Jake?" He looked at me through narrowed eyes, and removed my hands from around his neck.

"Shit." I woke from my daze and dismounted my boyfriend, all desire immediately leaving my body. Remorse and guilt settled rightfully in its place. I placed my head in my hands, not wanting to see those eyes of pain again. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Nahuel."

"I knew it!" Nahuel boomed, his voice livid. "I knew there was something going on between you and biker boy!"

"It's not like that, I swear, Nahuel!" I began my lame attempt at lying once again, slumping against the wall. I felt so confused; my emotions were all tangled together in knots. How many people could I possibly hurt in one day?

"The hell it isn't!" I looked up through tear-rimmed eyes to see Nahuel rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand. He began to pace back and forth. "I saw the way he looked at you! Tell me the truth!"

"How did he look at me?" I nosily asked, but then cursed myself for it.

"So, you're curious? I come all this way to see you, only to find out you've been screwing some other guy behind my back!" His accent grew in intensity as he spat out the words.

"Nahuel, I haven't-" I began, but he cut me off.

"What is he, like thirty-five?" Nahuel vehemently questioned, stepping forward to face me. "He's _way_ too old for you, Ness."

"Jacob's thirty-eight, Nahuel, and he's _not_ too old for me," I corrected him, hearing a sudden tinge of anger in my own voice.

"See, you just confirmed it. After all we've shared? Fuck that, Ness." Nahuel turned, adjusting his collar, and reached for the doorknob. "Fuck that."

"Nahuel, please don't go!" I pleaded with him, grabbing onto his elbow. Desperate tears streamed down my cheeks. "Please just let me explain."

"No, I think we're done here," he said firmly, staring me up and down with glaring eyes. "I'll call a cab and stay at a hotel tonight. I'll come back for my things in the morning. It would be great if you weren't here when I do."

Before I could answer him, Nahuel opened the door, slamming it right in my face. I leaned against the closed door, pressing my forehead against the wooden frame. In one day, I'd managed to send the two men I loved speeding away from me. How completely heartless could one woman be?

I stood at the door and waited drudgingly for the cab to arrive for Nahuel, feeling my heartstrings come undone as it drove away with my first love in the backseat. I decided then and there that I couldn't wait any longer to return to La Push. I needed Jacob. Wiping away my sullen tears, I grabbed my keys, which were still dangling from the keyhole, and headed out to my truck.

Minutes later, I found myself back on that same stretch of highway toward the La Push reservation. I didn't know exactly where Jacob's house was; all I knew was that he lived with his invalid father. Glancing ahead at the dark road before me, I resolved to stop somewhere and ask for directions. Since Jacob was the new chief of the Quileute tribe, someone was bound to know where he lived. I couldn't very well just drive aimlessly around La Push so late at night, hoping to read his last name on one of the mailboxes.

After stopping at an all-night convenience store, directions now firmly in my hand, I returned to my truck, only to be greeted by rain. The relentless downpour blurred my vision somewhat as I continued on my way, but alas, the darkened, red house soon came into view. I pulled into the gravel driveway, parking parallel to the dilapidated shed toward the side of the house.

I stared out the window at the raindrops pounding heavily on the windshield in front of me, and killed the engine. Butterflies did loops inside my stomach, and I wondered if I just shouldn't turn around now and save myself the embarrassment of facing Jacob again. Judging from how he'd reacted earlier that day, there was no telling how he'd respond to seeing me on his doorstep much sooner than he probably expected.

Mustering up enough courage, I exited the truck and made my way toward Jacob's front door, my heels sloshing in the puddles as I went. I raised my hand, ready to knock, when the door suddenly opened.

"Ness?" Jacob's surprised voice rang out into the night air. He was barefoot, wearing a white, thermal tank and faded jeans. My heart skipped a beat when the light from the porch lamp illuminated his face, casting brilliant shadows under his cheekbones. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize for earlier today," I said, raindrops streaming down my face and soaking my hair. I had to have looked completely horrible at that moment.

"Well, let's get you inside. Come on." Jacob stepped out onto the top step, using his arm to guide me inside the small house. "Wait here. I'll get you a towel to dry off."

"Thanks, Jake," I whispered as I stood in the doorway, shivering.

I glanced around the tiny kitchen, waiting for Jacob to return with the towel. It was very quaint and simple. The walls were painted in neutral beige; the refrigerator and stove were coordinated in a matching avocado color, possibly from the 1970s. I remembered Charlie having similarly-colored appliances when I was a little girl. A faint memory of my mother in Charlie's kitchen flashed before my eyes, but quickly dissipated as Jacob reentered the room.

"Here, Ness." Jacob held out the pale green towel, letting his arm fall away as I took it swiftly from his grasp. He swept his right hand through his black hair.

Silence hovered over us as I dried my hair and dotted my face with the towel. Jacob's brown eyes stayed focused on the linoleum floor below.

"Where's your dad?" I casually asked, neatly folding the towel and placing it on the kitchen counter.

"Watching some replays of old Mariners games," he answered, the side of his mouth crooking into a hint of a smile. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his hands steadying his weight on the surface, accentuating his well-toned biceps. "That's all he ever does anymore. A real pain in the ass."

"Oh," I said, smiling. "I'd like to meet him sometime...officially."

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you, too, Ness." Jacob shifted uneasily against the counter beside me. He then pushed off the surface and opened the refrigerator, retrieving two beers. He promptly twisted the caps off both bottles and offered one to me.

"Thanks," I whispered, swallowing the lump in my throat, and took the brown bottle from his hand. "And thanks for the dreamcatcher...it was very thoughtful of you."

"Sure, sure," he said nonchalantly, taking the first sip of his beer, and leaned back against the counter. "Who _was_ that guy this morning? What was his name again?"

"Nahuel...he's sort of my boyfriend," I nervously admitted, twirling the bottom of the glass bottle in the palm of my opposite hand.

"Yeah, I got that much. Are you two serious?" Jacob's voice was firm, almost demanding in tone.

"We've been dating for almost a year, Jake. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner." I couldn't even meet his eyes as I spoke. I felt so ashamed.

"You lied to me." Jacob looked over at me, and instinctively, my head shot up. The hurt in his eyes made me want to rip my own eyes out in the hopes of never seeing that pain again. I forced myself to look away.

"I know, and I'm sorry." I gulped down a generous swig of my beer, flinching as the bitter taste rolled over my tongue.

"But why would you lie to me about something like that?" Jacob asked, reaching out his hand to grab mine, which lay relaxed at my side. "It wouldn't have stopped me from pursuing a relationship with you, even if you had told me the truth."

"Jake, I-" I managed to stutter as our hands connected, entwining with one another. The familiar warmth of his skin was soothing; it told me without saying a word that he'd forgiven me. For everything.

"Look, I'm sorry I said you were like your mother. You're _nothing_ like her, Ness," Jacob apologized, sincerity permeating his voice. He gently squeezed my hand. "That's what I love about you. You're your own person."

"Thanks, Jake." I chewed my bottom lip, blushing slightly.

Jacob suddenly recoiled his hand from mine, downing the rest of his beer.

"I think I might be losing it, Ness." He slid down the length of the cabinets and sunk to the floor. The empty beer bottle hit the linoleum with a thud and rolled under the small kitchen table. "I'm falling apart from the inside out."

"What do you mean, Jake?" I hurriedly placed my bottle on the counter and knelt in front of him. He didn't answer; he just covered his head with his hands. "You mean about last night?"

"I killed someone, Ness," he hopelessly whispered, looking up at me through tear-framed eyes. He held out his shaky hands, palms facing upward. "Every square inch of my hands is covered in his blood."

My mind searched for the right words to say. I rested my hands reassuringly on both of his shoulders.

"Jake, what you did was noble. You saved me. Never forget that. There's no telling what he would've done if you hadn't stopped him."

"And then it would be _your_ blood on my hands." Jacob winced at the words. "I would've never forgiven myself if he'd..."

"Shh." I pulled him into my arms, and he continued to sob, placing his head on my left shoulder. My heart broke for him. This whole situation was tearing him apart. How did we ever get ourselves into this mess?

I reassured him, "It wouldn't have been your fault, Jake. Please stop beating yourself up about it."

After a few seconds, Jacob leaned back against the cabinets, wiping the tears from under his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Look at me. Some tough guy I am," he joked, offering me a half-smile. "I can't even imagine what you think of me now."

"I think you're very brave, Jacob Black." I leaned in toward him, placing my hands on either side of his face. I gently tilted his head forward and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, Ness. You're too good to me," Jacob said, grabbing my wrists and hooking them around the base of his neck. He then reached up, taking my face into his palms, and ran his thumbs under my eyes. "I'm surprised you're not terrified of me."

"Never," I spoke softly, closing my eyes at the warm touch of his hands on my skin.

I ran my hands down the length of his arms, and released his hands from my face. Turning his palms upward, I began to trace his skin with delicate kisses. I covered every inch of hands with my lips, kissing away his guilt, his remorse. His shame.

"Ness." His ragged breaths caught in his throat. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"

I looked up from his hands, my heart racing like a runaway freight train in my chest. My face was mere inches from Jacob's lips; my body achingly throbbed in need for him. I knew the consequences of what could transpire if I allowed myself to give in at that moment. He was far too vulnerable...but then again, maybe he needed me as much as I needed him.

"I need you, Ness," Jacob suddenly spoke, his expectant eyes focusing on my lips. "So much right now. You're all I've got."

Without any further hesitation, I closed the gap between us, crushing my lips to his. Jacob's tumescent lips responded with vigor, his palms tightening their grip along my jaw line. I immediately shifted my body so that I was straddling him. We both loudly moaned as our arousals came in contact with the sudden change in position.

Jacob's strong hands came to rest on my bottom, pinning me to his body. His soft lips marked a path down my neck and along the hemline of my low-cut top. I threw my head back, allowing the wet tendrils of my hair to detach from my shoulders and cascade down my back. One of his hands then reached up and cupped my left breast, the thumb running back and forth over the hardened nub there.

I cravingly groaned, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. God, I wanted him. I'd wanted him since the first moment I laid eyes on him. I wanted to crawl inside of him and completely surround myself in all that was Jacob Black for every second of eternity.

Seizing his right hand from my breast, I maneuvered it between my legs and leaned back to allow him further access.

"Ness," Jacob breathlessly whispered, his wide eyes guarded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I replied, forcing his hand up my skirt, and shuddered when his fingers came in contact with my feminine center. "P-please, Jake."

Needing no further reassurance, Jacob heftily pulled back the fabric of my cotton panties and plunged his middle finger inside me. I rocked my hips forward, relishing in the sensation of being connected in such an intimate way with him.

"Oh, Ness, you're so fucking wet." Jacob's husky voice sent shivers of pleasure all over my body. His thumb gently toyed with my clit, bringing me closer and closer to satisfaction. "Is that for me, or for that asshat back at Charlie's house?"

"Oh, Jake, it's all for you, baby," I moaned, massaging his engorged length through his jeans, and then sucked hard on his lower lip.

Jacob picked up the pace, rapidly rubbing my clit in response. The intensity sent me over the fucking moon, my orgasm soaring throughout my body in powerful waves.

"Yes, Jake," I yelped, forcefully grinding against his hand. "Oh, fuck yeah!"

"Mmm, Ness," Jacob murmured, tracing my lower lip with his tongue, and withdrew his hand. "I love to hear you say my name."

His brown eyes blazed with such a desirous hunger; I thought for a split second that I might come again just staring into them.

Without saying another word, Jacob helped me to a standing position, and I immediately jumped into his arms, locking my legs around his waist. We remained in that position as he carried me down the hall to his bedroom, gently laying me down on the center of his small bed.

Jacob left me briefly to close and lock his door, before hovering over me, pressing his erection between my legs. I rose up and unbuttoned his jeans. He clutched the back of my head as I carefully lowered the zipper.

Quickly kicking off his pants and boxer briefs, Jacob removed his tank and climbed back on top of me. I stared wide-eyed at his glorious erection between my legs, my core pulsating to be connected with it. I knew that he'd probably been with many women in the past. I shuddered as I thought of how easily he'd made me climax in the kitchen. I immediately removed my shirt and bra at the thought, lying back against the comfort of his bed.

"Ness, you're so beautiful," Jacob whispered against my chest, his eyebrows lifting in ultimate approval. He then took my left nipple into his mouth, suckling it roughly as he twisted the other with the fingers of his opposite hand.

I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to feel him inside me. The desire was just too overwhelming to be ignored any longer.

Shimmying out of my skirt and panties beneath him, I bent my legs and gripped his throbbing dick with my right hand. Jacob let out what sounded almost like a growl as I placed him at my wet entrance.

"Make love to me, Jake, please..." I begged, and he immediately obliged, sheathing himself completely within me.

The both of us cried out in pleasure as we connected, our lips hungrily locking together. Jacob began to thrust in and out of me, clutching my hips to him as I matched his movements in perfect rhythm. It was as if our bodies were made to be together like this. We fit together so effortlessly, so flawlessly. It seemed I'd been waiting my whole life for this very moment.

"Ness." Jacob broke away from my lips to gasp for air. "I'm not gonna last long. You feel too fucking good."

I smiled, closing my eyes and savoring in the feeling of him inside me at last. I could have easily drowned in him.

"Oh, Ness, yes!" Jacob barked, thrusting into me one last time as he reached satisfaction. "Y-yessss!"

He finally collapsed on top of me, completely spent, sweat pouring from his temples. I kissed the top of his head and relaxed against the cotton sheets, holding him tight against my chest.

We stayed like that for the rest of the night, clinging to each other, comforting each other, loving each other. In the end, all we needed was each other, and we could face anything headed our way...

Or so we thought.

**__**

**Attn: Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. How did you feel about Jake and Ness's first time?**


	7. Chapter 7: Afterglow

_"I have, indeed, no abhorrence of danger, except in its absolute effect - in terror."_

_~Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher"_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 7: Afterglow**

**Jacob's POV**

The sound of laughter woke me from my peaceful slumber that next morning. I opened my eyes, smiling at the beautiful sound I knew to be Ness' infectious laugh. I rubbed away the sleep from under my eyes, and realized I hadn't slept quite that well in over two decades.

Last night had been amazing. Making love to Ness had been the single most exhilarating thing I'd ever done in my thirty-eight years on this Earth. The way she called out my name as she came, the way her lips caressed mine in the throes of passion, the way her hips rocked against me as I thrust into her; everything about her was so...intoxicating.

A thousand nights with Angela could have never amounted to one night with Ness.

I would never forget the look in Ness' eyes as she comforted me in my father's kitchen. The emotions that had been building over the past twenty-four hours came crashing down upon me like a two-ton boulder. The mass of guilt and shame for taking another man's life began to literally eat me alive. If Ness hadn't been there to hold me in her arms and tell me how brave I'd been, I would have surely contemplated ending my life.

Now, I had a reason to live...Ness. One single glance into her gorgeous, caramel eyes had been enough to save me. I now knew why fate had made me fall in love with her mother those many years ago. Fate knew I'd meet Bella's daughter one day. My heart that had turned so cold for over two decades finally had begun to warm after Ness entered my life. She had awakened the Jacob Black I'd once thought to be lost forever.

There was only one problem-that asshat of a boyfriend she'd left back at her grandfather's house. Technically, she was still his; Ness had said last night that she and Nahuel had been dating for almost a year. I gritted my teeth in frustration at the thought. I knew he wouldn't be too happy when he found out I'd slept with his girlfriend, though part of me delighted in the fact that she'd willingly given herself to me. I just hoped Ness felt the same way about me as I felt about her. I was terrified by the possibility that she might realize what she'd done and go running back to Nahuel. The thought of him even touching her made my insides burn with jealous rage.

I rolled over in my bed and felt the covers beside me, hoping to pull Ness back into my arms and never let her go. To my dismay, my hand was greeted with nothingness, the bare cotton sheets tickling my palms. My eyes widened, disappointment shooting through me like a lightning bolt. The laughter I'd heard earlier had only been wishful thinking; Ness had already left me and gone back to that Rico Suave wannabe.

Panicking, I immediately shot up in bed, tossing the covers back, and grabbed my boxer briefs and jeans that I'd worn last night from the floor. I quickly dressed, throwing on my wife-beater tank before heading down the hallway to the kitchen. I'd already lost her mother once; I wasn't about to lose Ness as well.

I stopped abruptly as Ness's laughter filtered into the hallway, the sound of my father's gruff voice traveling with it. I sighed in relief, my shoulders relaxing. My hands, which had curved into angry fists, loosened as I neared the kitchen.

"Your mother and Jacob were inseparable when they were kids," my father spoke, his speech slurred by the paralysis in his face, which had been triggered by several strokes. "We used to call them the Wonder Twins."

Smiling, I tiptoed forward and paused on the threshold of the kitchen doorway. My senses were instantly assaulted by the fragrance of bacon, eggs, and coffee. Leaning my bare shoulder against the door frame, I crossed my arms over my chest and took in the sight before me. My father was seated in his wheelchair, sipping a cup of coffee, a broad smile decorating his face. I'd never seem him so jovial this early in the morning. Hell, he'd barely even cracked a smile since my mother passed away almost thirty years ago.

"Can I have a couple more slices of bacon, Nessie?" my father suddenly asked, looking toward his right.

It was then that I noticed her. She stood with her back to my father, busily hovering over the kitchen stove. She had a red and white checkered apron, which had once belonged to my mother, cinched around her waist, covering the lemon-yellow shirt and blue skirt she'd worn last night. Her curly, copper hair danced about her shoulders as she worked over the bacon and eggs simmering on the skillet in front of her. I didn't even need to see her face; she was radiant to me. And the fact that she was cooking breakfast for my invalid father made my dick harden beneath the fabric of my jeans.

"Sure, Billy," Ness' sweet voice called as she grabbed the skillet in one hand and a spatula with the other. She turned and merrily plopped several additional slices of bacon into my father's plate. The sight of her beautiful face nearly took my breath away. "There you go."

"Thanks, Nessie," my father said, chomping on his bacon. "Hey, did you know Jacob wet his bed until he was ten?"

"Morning." I rolled my eyes and made my presence known, walking into the kitchen.

"Jake, how nice of you to join us, son!" my father exaggeratedly announced as I brushed past Ness and grabbed a mug from the cabinet over the sink. "We thought you were gonna sleep all day."

"Good thing I did join you before you completely humiliated me behind my back," I jokingly remarked, pouring myself a cup of coffee and taking a hefty sip from my mug.

Ness bashfully looked up at me and smiled, returning the skillet to the stove. Her arm made brief contact with mine, igniting goose bumps along my skin. My heart did a back flip as I smiled stupidly back at her.

"Just keeping it real, Jake. Just keeping it real." My father heartily laughed and downed more bacon and eggs. "Why didn't you tell me we had company last night?"

"Because it's none of your business, old man," I replied, setting down my mug on the counter.

Ness turned around and leaned against the edge of the counter, wiping her brow with the bottom of the apron. Scooting closer to her, I wrapped my arms around her waist, and she immediately molded her body to mine. As she leaned into me, I kissed the side of her head, marveling in the fact that she was still here. Maybe she did feel the same way about me as I felt about her.

"Thank you," I whispered against her ear.

"For what?" She looked at me with a confused expression.

"For everything. You're an amazing woman," I told her, taking in the glorious scent that saturated her hair, roses mixed with honeysuckle.

"No problem." Ness smiled, a flush of heat rushing to her cheeks. She had to be the most goddamn beautiful woman on Earth. "You're not so bad yourself."

Mirroring her grin, I leaned in to brush my lips back and forth against hers, but my father's voice interrupted us.

"Jake, what's Angela going to think of this new development?" my father annoyingly interjected. I could have throttled him for bringing up my ex in front of Ness.

"Angela?" Ness gave me an upturned eyebrow, pulling away from me slightly, a hint of heartbreak in her tone. "Who's Angela?"

I pursed my lips together, not wanting my father's comment to ruin the post-coital bliss I currently felt. The muscles of my neck tensed as I tried to think of way to avoid this conversation for now. However, I knew I'd have to explain my complicated relationship with Angela to Ness soon enough.

"I-I-" I stuttered, trying to find just the right words to say when a knock on the side door broke my concentration.

"Anybody home?" a familiar voice called from behind the screen door. Fuck, it was Charlie Swan.

I hadn't seen Charlie since the incident two nights ago. Being around an officer of the law after the heinous crime I'd committed and consequently involved his granddaughter in made my heart nervously thud in my chest. The man who had supposedly murdered Bella and Edward now rotted in the waters somewhere off the La Push shore. It would devastate him to learn that James Volturi had been alive all these years, and not dead and buried in the ground as he once thought.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Charlie 'Vitamin R' Swan!" my father exclaimed, wheeling his chair around to face the door. "Come on in, stranger."

Charlie opened the screen door, letting himself into the house. "Hey, Billy. I was looking for Ne-"

He froze when he saw my hands around Ness' waist, his hand still supporting the screen door. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn that I saw him reach for his gun. I went to push Ness away, but she clung to me as if I were her only lifeline.

Charlie uncomfortably cleared his throat and closed the door behind him.

"Jesus, Ness, you had me worried sick," he began, putting his hands on his hips. "I come home and find your truck gone, no trace of you or Nahuel in sight. I thought he'd kidnapped you against your will and taken you back to South America."

Ness giggled beside me, and my heart warmed at the sound of her laughter. She pulled away from me and wrapped her arms lovingly around her grandfather.

"Oh, Charlie, I love you," she said.

Charlie's arms responded by gripping her tiny frame tightly to his chest. I heard him release a sigh of relief, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he loved Ness more than the morning sun.

After a few seconds, Charlie let Ness go, his eyes focusing solely on me.

"Jacob, do you mind if I have a word with you outside?"

"Sure, sure," I said, bracing myself for Charlie's wrath, and slipped my feet into my work boots by the door. Before following him out the screen door, I glanced back at Ness briefly, and she gave me a wry smile. I heard the sound of my father grunting as the screen door slammed shut behind me. I was positive that he was getting a kick out of this whole situation.

Charlie continued walking until he reached his police cruiser, which was parked near the shed where I kept my bike. I followed closely behind him, dodging several puddles of rainwater that had collected from last night's storm. I hoped with all my heart and soul that this wasn't about what had happened at the ice cream store the other night. My heart began to pound even faster in my chest when I considered the possibility that maybe a witness had come forward.

Ness' grandfather unexpectedly halted his steps, facing his cruiser for several seconds before turning around to face me.

"Jacob, I'm going to be honest with you." He paused, taking a deep breath, and stuffed his hands into his trousers' pockets. "I have a pretty good idea as to what happened between you and my granddaughter last night. I can't say I'm thrilled, but Ness seems so much happier now that she's met you. She's been rather despondent these past four years since her parents died. That's all I care about, Jacob-her happiness. You get me?"

"That's all I care about, too, Charlie," I sincerely answered him. "I want nothing more than to make her happy."

"Good, I'm glad we can agree on that at least," Charlie said, pressing his lips into a hard line, and smoothed his mustache with his fingers. "I made a promise to Bells long ago that I would take care of Ness if anything happened to her. Please help me keep that promise."

I felt a lump rise in my throat at the mention of keeping Ness safe. My actions two nights ago had been less than honorable. The compulsion to confess everything suddenly rushed over me, but I couldn't find the words to speak.

"I know that you once were in love with Bella, and I also know about your relationship with Angela Weber," Charlie continued, looking warily at me. "I don't want my granddaughter to be just another notch on your belt."

"She's not another notch on my belt, Charlie. Far from it," I insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder so I could look him in the eye. "She means so much more than that to me."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Jacob." He quickly brushed off my gesture and opened the door to his cruiser, wedging himself between the door and cab. "Because if you break my granddaughter's heart, I'll break your legs. You got that?"

"Loud and clear, sir," I replied, trying to quell the urge to laugh.

Charlie didn't look any more menacing than a housefly. However, I revered him and admired his unabashed attempt to intimidate me in defense of Ness. I'd be a little defensive too if a thirty-eight-year-old man was hitting on my much younger granddaughter. Actually, I was surprised at how well he was taking the whole situation, considering he'd given Edward a hard time when he first started dating Bella. Something in Charlie's demeanor over the years had always led me to believe he wished _I'd_ been the one to win Bella's heart, instead of Edward Cullen.

"Charlie, please!" an exasperated Ness yelled behind me as she hurried to meet us in the driveway.

"See you kids later," Charlie smirked, obviously proud with himself. He then licked his lips, cranked his police car, and headed out of the driveway.

As I watched him drive away, Ness wrapped her arms around my waist from behind.

"Hey," I whispered, looking down at her beautiful face.

"Hey, yourself." Ness beamed up at me, biting her lower lip. She looked so damned sexy in my mother's apron. I wanted nothing more than to throw her over my shoulder, take her back to my bedroom, and show her just how sexy she was.

However, all desire suddenly ripped away from my body when she asked, giving me the glare of death, "Now, who's this Angela I keep hearing about?"

* * *

**Renesmee's POV**

"Angela's my ex," Jacob blurted out as we walked along the shoreline of First Beach.

After taking me for a ride on his bike to the one-mile stretch of coastline, Jacob had finally answered my question. His father, Billy, had been the first to bring up this "Angela" character over breakfast that morning, and I had a pretty good feeling that Jacob had been keeping a secret about his love life from me as well. Even Charlie had mentioned her in his conversation with Jacob outside of Billy's house. How come he hadn't told me about her?

Ignoring my question after Charlie humiliatingly had warned him not to break my heart, Jacob had suggested we take a stroll down the beach and spend the day together. He had phoned his business partner, Embry, and asked if he could cover for Jacob at the garage. I was ecstatic to waste the day away with Jacob; it would be a chance to get to know him better, including his relation to this "Angela" person.

"Your ex as in wife, girlfriend...lover?" I questioned him, trying hard to mask my anxiousness as I awaited his answer. I dangled my ballet flats in my hands as a distraction, glancing down at my bare feet as they made imprints in the cold, wet sand.

"Well, not so much a girlfriend. She was more of a _convenience_, you could say." Jacob sighed and looked off toward the cliffs ahead of us. Hunching his shoulders, he tucked his hands into his jean pockets. A pained expression etched across his face, and I knew it was a difficult topic of conversation for him.

"Convenience?" I watched him cautiously after pulling several windswept strands of my hair back from my face. "You mean you used her."

"Well, it was mutual," Jacob sharply admitted, not meeting my eyes. "Angela used me as much as I used her."

"Okay," I said, and decided to press the issue further. "So how did you two, um...meet?"

"We were friends in high school." Jacob reached down and picked up a shiny, black stone. He held it in his palms for several seconds, running his fingers along the contours before tossing it into the waves. "I started seeing her after your moth-"

He shot me a worried glance, placing his hands behind his head, almost as if he wasn't sure of what he should say next. He forcefully blew all the air out of his mouth and looked jadedly toward an island just off shore.

"What's wrong, Jake?" I asked when he didn't continue. I walked over to him and circled my arms about his waist, pulling him to me.

"Nothing," he said, instantly coiling his arms about my shoulders. He sighed and pressed my head to his shoulder, hugging me close. "Well, I started seeing Angela when I found out your mother was pregnant with you."

"Oh," I whispered, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't know what to think. He'd told me a few nights ago that he used to be in love with my mom. Finding out that she was carrying another man's child must have torn him irrevocably in two.

After an awkward silence, I said, "I'm sorry, Jake."

"Don't be. It was a long time ago. Angela just helped to lessen the sting of not having your mother in my life." He patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"Did you love Angela, Jake?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. I hated knowing that he'd been in pain over my mother choosing my father instead of him. My mind then shifted to thoughts of Nahuel, how _I_ was ultimately choosing Jacob over him. My heart instantly broke for the both of them. Maybe Jacob was right; I _was_ just like my mother.

"We were together off and on for over twenty years, Ness. Part of me did love her, yes." Jacob pulled me taut against his chest, gently kissing the top of my head. The warmth of his body and the power of his strong arms overwhelmed me. "But I never could picture the two of us spending the rest of our lives together. It just wasn't meant to be."

"Wow...twenty years," I murmured, my eyes closing against his shoulder, listening to the rhythm of his heart as it beat in time with the waves crashing to the sand. "She must've really loved you to stay with you that long."

Jacob laughed, and I relished in the vibrations of his laughter as it traveled down his shoulders and against my cheek.

"Yeah, she practically begged me to marry her several times," he confessed, unwrapping his arms from around my back. He looked me straight in the eyes, his hands steadying on my shoulders. "I almost asked her once after your mother died, but something...something in my gut kept telling me that I shouldn't."

"And what was that, you think?" I coyly grinned.

Jacob's eyes smoldered as I peered into them, two depthless pools of warm chocolate. Pulling my arms up, he wrapped them tenderly around his neck and placed both of his hands on my hips. I ran my fingers down the back of his neck, fingering the layer of finely-trimmed hair at the base.

"I think you already know the answer to that question," he spoke softly, just inches from my lips. I felt his words ripple all the way down to my waist.

"Jake." My lips broke apart with the word, my breath coming in gasps. I forced myself to break his gaze. "Last night..."

"Last night was the most amazing night of my life, Ness," Jacob said without hesitation, pulling my face back to meet his. "Making love to you was..."

He closed his eyes at the memory.

"I felt the same way, Jake," I told him honestly, feeling a sudden desire to replay the events of the previous night. I closed my eyes as well, and remembered the feeling of him inside me, the sensation of him gently thrusting into me.

"Was it better than with that asshat?" My eyes fluttered open, only to see Jacob's expression harden. He'd asked me a similar question last night before we made love; I wondered momentarily if he was beginning to doubt my affections for him.

"Yes, Jake." I lifted onto my tiptoes, kissing him squarely on the mouth. He tried to deepen the kiss, clasping the back of my head, but I pulled back. "The best I've ever had."

"You don't know how happy that makes me, Ness." He reached up and cradled my chin with his hands, resting his forehead against mine. "I was so terrified that you were going to realize you'd made a mistake and go running back to him. I _still_ am terrified. I keep thinking you're gonna disappear."

"Jake, I'm here," I said, kissing the tips of his fingers as they brushed over my lips. I took the end of his forefinger into my mouth and sucked on it gently.

Jacob's eyes flared with longing at my gesture, his breath becoming uneven.

I whispered against his fingers, "Nahuel found out about our date and went back to Seattle...I'm _all_ yours."

"Fuck," Jacob's lips mouthed the word.

Before I could register what was happening, Jacob had me pinned inside an alcove underneath the towering cliffs, my legs bound around his waist. His lips devoured mine as I raked my nails down his muscular back beneath his shirt.

"I want you, Ness," Jacob growled, breaking apart from my swollen lips. He pulled down the neckline of my yellow shirt and bra, hungrily taking my right nipple into his mouth. His wet tongue lapped around my nipple several times before he sucked on it roughly.

"Oh, God, Jake, I want you, too," I moaned loudly, feeling the wetness growing between my legs. I hastily unfastened his jeans and reached under the elastic band of his underwear, freeing his glorious erection. "Please..."

My hand ran up and down the length of his shaft, and I felt him grow harder in my grasp with the motion. With one swift movement, Jacob reached under my skirt and ripped away the cotton barrier of my panties, immersing himself deeply inside me. Our bodies lingered in that position for several excruciating seconds, my core throbbing at the sensation of him buried within me.

"Ness," Jacob breathlessly spoke, looking at me with such tenderness. "I know this might sound crazy, but I think I might be...falling in love with you."

His thrilling words left me completely speechless.

Was I falling in love with Jacob? Definitely. I had never been more sure of anything in my life. I wanted Jacob with all my heart and soul.

But what would that mean for us?

I frowned as a flash of James' murder came rushing back into my memory-Jacob pummeling my attacker's body to death amidst the backdrop of pouring-down rain. What would happen to us? My future and Jacob's future were still unknown. I decided to push away those terrifying thoughts for now and focus on the present.

I smiled wider than I thought my face could allow, and replied, "Me, too, Jake."

"I've never felt this way about anyone before," Jacob said between heaving breaths as he began to pull in and out of me, plastering me against the rocky cliff.

"Not even my mother?" I asked him without thinking, still plagued by the fact that he'd once been in love with my mom. I mentally slapped myself for letting the words slip from my tongue.

Jacob abruptly stopped mid-thrust, grabbing both sides of my face.

"I've forgotten all about her, Ness. She's nothing more than a faded memory," Jacob assured me, sincerity permeating his eyes. "You're all I want."

I responded by greedily wrapping my lips around his, darting my tongue searchingly into his hot mouth. The hesitant part of me just needed to hear him say the words. I could easily imagine myself shrouded in Jacob's warm, loving arms for the rest of my life.

Slowly pressing himself back into me, Jacob resumed making love to me. My eyes whipped around to the back of my head as my hips rose up to meet him. It felt amazing, so much better than when Nahuel and I had made love. Nahuel had always seemed to rush things and never take the time to fully savor the moment. With Jacob, the way he held me and touched me, I felt so treasured, as if I were the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth.

I clutched Jacob's waist to me with my right leg, rubbing my clit rapidly against his body. Soon, I felt my release building, and I could sense that he was almost there, too.

"Come with me, Jake," I whimpered, latching my hands onto his shoulders.

Jacob's warm brown eyes locked into mine, and he began to move more urgently against me.

"Fuck," Jacob lustily grunted as he came hard inside me, gently nibbling my shoulder. "That felt so good, Ness."

I soon followed him in satisfaction, riding out the surges of my orgasm as they swept over me like the crashing waves against the sand. I screamed out his name at the top of my lungs, gritting my teeth together.

"Mmm," Jacob hummed, taking my mouth with his lips as my orgasm subsided. "Good?"

"Oh, God, yes!" I giggled and ran my hands through my red curls, my eyes rolling to the back of my head. "You have no idea."

Jacob laughed, setting me down and began buttoning his jeans. "Sorry about your panties. They just had to go."

He nodded his head toward the shards of white fabric lying on the sand at his feet. I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Well, it was a small price to pay. Definitely worth it, though," I said, and reached down to pick up my destroyed panties. My head swirled, and I almost felt lightheaded from our lovemaking session. I quickly gathered my composure. "It might be better this way...you know, if we decide to go another round later."

"Don't tempt me." Jacob suddenly took me into him arms. "I might just have to take you again right now."

"You might, huh?" I placed a soft, desirous kiss in the hollow of his neck.

"Yeah, but unfortunately, we need to head back," Jacob said disappointedly. "My dad..."

"Say no more," I told him, giving him a small peck on the lips. "Hey, why don't I stay and fix you two dinner tonight?"

Jacob's eyes narrowed, brushing his nose back and forth against mine. "You_are_ the perfect woman."

"Of course, I am," I blatantly replied with a smug grin, taking his hand. "Let's go. We wouldn't want to keep Billy waiting."

* * *

"I hope Charlie's not too mad that you stayed the whole day here," Jacob said thoughtfully as he walked me to my truck after dinner. "I know he misses you when you're away at school."

I answered frankly, "I know he does, but Charlie's Charlie. He'd never ask me to stay home when I could be out friends."

"Friends, huh?" Jacob joked, placing his palms on either side of me, imprisoning me against the driver's side door.

"You know what I meant." I shook my head in protest of what he'd said, pressing my back to the door.

"So... will I see you again?" Jacob asked almost nervously, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Jacob Black, didn't you hear anything I told you earlier today?" I wrapped my arms around his waist comfortingly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Jacob frowned dejectedly. "But you'll be heading back to school in a few days."

"I'm trying very hard not to think about that right now."

"Come see me tomorrow," Jacob whispered, kissing me forcefully on the forehead. He pulled back, a look of desperation scattering across his moonlit face. "Please."

"I will, Jake. I promise," I assured him. Jacob sure seemed to have major separation issues, and rightfully so. His mother had died when he was young, and both of his sisters had moved away from La Push. Not to mention the death of his best friend, my mother, Bella.

Jacob pulled me in and pressed his lips to mine. This kiss was different, almost as if it was our last. A nervous knot rolled over in my stomach as I broke our kiss, angling my head downward. I turned and opened the driver's side door to my truck, not wanting to say goodbye, even if it was only for one night.

"Miss you," Jacob said as I slid into the cab of the rusty automobile.

I smiled back at him, cranking the engine. "Miss you, too."

As Jacob leaned in to shut the door, I caught the sight of something in the passenger seat beside me. I pivoted my head slightly, and in the light from the crescent moon above, the large object vividly came into view. I froze, chills of terror undulating down my spine.

There, staring back at me, was Jacob's murder weapon, the same jagged piece of plywood he had hammered into James Volturi's body outside the ice cream shop that night. I'd recognize it anywhere.

Then, something else caught my eye; etched along the flat edge of the board, three words in blood-red ink angrily screamed back at me:

_I SEE YOU._

I brought a shaky hand to my mouth, panic beginning to overtake me.

Someone had seen us that night; someone who knew our secret.

"Jacob!" I shrieked into the stillness of the spring night, and the world dimly faded to black.

**Attn: DUN DUN DUN! LOL, sorry for the cliffie this time. Who do you think "saw" Jake and Ness? As always, thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought of this chapter. I may have a teaser or two up my sleeve if you do. :)**

****


	8. Chapter 8: Revelations

_"Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over,_

_remembering them for the rest of our lives."_

_~ Richard Bach_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 8: Revelations**

**Jacob's POV**

"Ness!"

I instantly panicked and flung open the truck door. Ness' body fell limp into my embrace, and I reflexively caught her before gravity sent her tumbling to the ground. Something had caused her to scream my name in terror, and she'd obviously fainted.

"Ness! Oh, God, Ness!"

I sunk down onto my knees and pulled her closer to my chest, running my hand down the length of her face. Gently, I nudged her cheek several times with my palm, trying to revive her from her unconscious state. Her brown eyes remained closed, her beautiful face illuminated by the bright moonlight overhead. To my ultimate easement, I could feel the even whisper of her breathing against my neck, and I knew that she was still alive.

"Please, Ness! No!" I screamed into her face, tears starting to creep their way to the surface of my eyes.

Burying my face in her chest, I cursed myself for involving her in such a heinous act of violence. Maybe she'd finally cracked under all the stress of what happened, and her body just couldn't handle it anymore.

Or maybe she'd changed her mind about me.

I raised my head, taking in her lifeless face through the blur of tears. She looked so pale and fragile as I held her there. It made my heart ache to know that I'd caused her to be in any amount of pain. Why did I cause everyone around me to be in so much pain?

Without thinking, I stood up, supporting Ness's body in my arms, and ran toward my father's house. Flinging open the screen door, I stormed down the hallway and spread Ness's rigid body on top of the bed in my room. I then raced into the kitchen and grabbed a washcloth, soaking it with ice cold water before heading back to my bedroom.

"Ness," I said calmly, pressing the cloth to her forehead with only a glimmer of hope left.

Still, there was no response.

The panicky thudding of my heart became even more erratic as I hovered over her, gripping her left palm in mine. I placed my forehead on the edge of the bed, feeling utterly hopeless.

What would Charlie think of me now? I hadn't been able to protect her. Ness was all I had; I couldn't lose her.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle squeeze against my hand, waking me from my bleak thoughts. I lifted my head, renewed hope rushing back through my veins.

"Jake," Ness' soft voice spoke. It sounded so weak, so frail.

"I'm here, Ness," I said, removing the washcloth from her forehead and replacing it with a tender kiss. Her eyes fluttered open, making my heart overflow with relief. "What happened, baby? Why did you scream my name like that?"

"Jake," she whispered between breaths right below my lips. I watched her eyes cautiously, not sure if I wanted to hear the answer to my own question. "Jake, someone knows."

"_What?_ What are you talking about, Ness?" I looked at her in wonder, tracing the outline of her jaw with my fingertips. "Please, tell me!"

"In the truck, Jake." Ness's eyes widened at the words. "Someone knows."

"Who knows? What's in the truck, Ness?" I anxiously gulped, my heart plummeting within my chest at the thought of someone knowing our secret.

"Jake, everything okay in here?" My father's voice startled me from behind before Ness could answer.

I pivoted my head sideways and nodded.

"She's fine. Just fainted, I think." I racked my brain, trying to come up with a cover story for why she'd fainted. I felt like I was fucking ten years old, lying to my father.

I shamefully closed my eyes and blurted out, "Something got into her truck-a snake or something."

"Women." My dad chuckled, shaking his head, and wheeled himself into the bedroom beside Ness' form.

"Would you mind staying with her while I go check and see if it's gone?" I asked my father, rising to a standing position.

Whatever had caused Ness to faint was in that truck. Whatever it was had something to do with James' murder, and I had to find it and destroy it before someone else did.

"Sure, son," my dad said, turning to Ness, and took her hand. "Don't worry, Nessie. That snake won't get the drop on Jake. His kung fu is strong."

The playful derision of my father didn't help to ease my apprehensiveness as I headed back down the hallway and out the screen door. I paused in front of Ness' truck, my eyes darting to the darkened woods all around me. I could smell the distinct fragrance of smoke in the air; it hovered over me like a thick blanket as fear crept slowly and steadily into my brain. A lone wolf eerily howled somewhere off in the distance, almost stopping my heart's irregular rhythm from where I stood.

Gulping down the lump of fear lodged in my throat, I coiled my fingers around the passenger side door handle of the old red pickup. As I guardedly cracked it open, I could sense the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. My wide eyes soon transfixed on the cause of Ness' fainting spell, and I released a pronounced gasp, gripping my chin in horror.

The murder weapon, the wooden board I'd used to murder James Volturi, lay on the seat in clear view.

"What the fu-" I stumbled backward, landing amongst the rocks that peppered the gravel driveway. I ran my hands through my black hair, my mouth agape, my mind racing with a stream of incoherent thoughts.

I stared back at the open cab of the truck with disbelieving eyes, gripping the strands of my hair tightly in between my fingers. Vivid flashes of that night came soaring back to me as I sat motionless on the ground: James' blue eyes waxing over in terror, the haunting sound of the board slamming into his back, his bleeding fingertips grasping at the cracks in the pavement as he tried to get away, the fountain of blood seeping from the wound on the back of his head...

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the mental images of the night I'd done the unthinkable. Before I knew it, I found myself hugging my knees to my chest and rocking back and forth as if I was some psycho in a padded room.

_Get a grip on yourself, Black,_ I heatedly told myself, balling my hands into fists. _You have to be strong for Ness._

Regaining my composure, I stood up and carefully took two small steps back to the truck. I hoped with all the might left within me that what I'd seen was only a mere hallucination of my guilty conscience.

As I peered into the truck, all my hopes were dashed to smithereens. A chill rippled through my body all the way to my bones.

It was still there.

Slowly, I reached out a trembling hand toward the board, noticing strange, jagged markings along the edge. Blinking my eyes, I reluctantly scooped up the board into my palms and held it up in the moonlight as I read the scribbled handwriting:

_I SEE YOU._

I immediately spun around, taking in my surroundings, my heart hammering like a drum within my chest. It felt as if the forest had eyes and every single one of them was focused steadily, accusingly on me. My own eyes danced around the tree line, looking for any sign of a figure or shadow lurking just beyond the edge of the woods.

Someone had seen what had happened outside the ice cream shop. Someone knew that I'd murdered James. Someone was out for revenge, or at least trying to scare the shit out of both Ness and me.

In just that split second, I'd made up my mind. I was going to destroy the evidence. No one was going to intimidate Jacob Black.

I clutched the board tightly in my right arm and stormed over to the derelict shed toward the side of the house. Rummaging through several shelves on the wall, I found some lighter fluid and gathered a few old, tattered rags. I threw the rags and the murder weapon into a steel barrel my father and I used for warmth when we were outside on cold, winter nights. After dousing the contents with the lighter fluid, I lit a match and tossed it into the barrel.

As I stood there and watched the evidence of my crime burn to ash, I came to a snap decision-I was going to confess everything to Charlie Swan. Someone knew what I'd done; there was no mistaking that fact. I couldn't just ignore it. Something had to be done, and Ness had been right. Charlie would understand; he would be able to help us.

Charlie also trusted me, much more than he let on. He'd always been grateful for my quick actions that day by the cliffs when Bella and I were merely adolescents. I remembered it as if it were yesterday.

It was the eve of Bella's fifteenth birthday. She had come to visit my dad and me in La Push, and Quil and Embry had decided to show off, trying their damndest to impress her. They'd always given me shit for having a girl as a best friend, yet they both drooled all over Bella like two little puppies whenever the chance presented itself.

The Dynamic Duo had proceeded to perform several amusing back flips off the cliffs, demonstrating how easy it was to dive into the raging waves below. Bella had been so adamant about trying it that I had finally given into her pleas and promised not to tell her father, Charlie. Unwillingly, I'd led her down to a lower ledge, and before I could utter a single word of caution, she'd stepped off the ledge and plunged into the dark blue waters, fully clothed.

I'd shaken my head, peered over the cliff after her, and waited for her head to emerge. However, seconds upon seconds passed, and still no sign of Bella.

So I did what any normal person would have done in my situation-I jumped in after her, hoping to God that I wasn't too late. I found her motionless body quickly, submerged just under the churning waves. After pulling her to shore, I'd administered CPR and tried to remain calm while I waited for her breathing to return. Bella soon came back to life, sputtering water out of her lungs and onto the sand beside her.

I'd taken Bella back to my house to change into some dry clothes, and to our surprise, Charlie was waiting to pick her up. Needless to say, we had to explain the whole situation to him and my father. Charlie ended up grounding Bella for a month and told her to wait in his police cruiser while he talked to me. I'd prepared myself for the worst, but amazingly, Charlie didn't speak a single word. He'd just walked right up to me, shook my hand, and gave me a thankful smile.

I knew then that I'd won Charlie Swan's trust. Whenever I was in trouble or needed anything, Charlie had always seemed to come to rescue. It was as if he was paying me back for saving Bella's life that day on the cliffs. Even when Bella started dating Edward Cullen, he'd always seem to show favoritism toward me. Charlie had actually refused to let them see each other after Bella returned from a weekend trip to Phoenix, Arizona, with Edward's parents; she'd fallen down a flight of stairs at the hotel and broken one of her legs. After that incident, Charlie, along with the aid of my father, had then tried to steer Bella in my direction, trying to play matchmaker to an unwilling subject. Maybe that was why he'd been so accepting of my relationship with Ness this morning. And maybe, just maybe, he would lend another helping hand this time-a time at which I needed help the most.

"Jake?" I heard my name whispered in the sweetest voice I'd ever heard.

I sighed, watching the flames devour the piece of plywood.

"Ness, what are you doing out of bed?" I asked without turning around to face her. "You fainted. You need to rest."

"I was too scared in there all by myself," she admitted, her voice quivering. The sound of her footsteps treading lightly on the dirt ground drew nearer to my position. "And I was worried about you obviously. You've been out here for almost twenty minutes."

"I told my dad to keep an eye on you," I told Ness, feeling her arms enfold around my waist. My heart ached at her touch. I didn't deserve this woman. She was much too good for me.

"I know," Ness whispered. "I told him not to worry about me, that I was fine."

I felt my face contort into a grimace. "Still, he shouldn't have left you alone."

"It's okay, Jake," she insisted, gripping me to her chest. "I'm here with _you_now."

"Some protector I am." I scowled, my eyes lost in the glow of the fire.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Jake," she said as her lips kissed my shoulder.

I let out a mock laugh at her words.

"You've protected me in so many ways. Give yourself some credit." Ness rested her cheek against my shoulder.

"Ness," I said, changing the subject. "I've been thinking..."

"Me, too." She raised her head from my shoulder. "I've been wondering...what if James wasn't dead when we dumped his body over the cliff?"

"Impossible," I countered, entwining my fingers with hers and pulling her hands tighter to my chest. "I checked his pulse. He was dead as a doornail, Ness."

"Hmm..." Ness balanced her chin on my shoulder. "What about the black car?"

"The black car? The one that followed you out of La Push?" I questioned, my pulse quickening at the thought.

Ness was right; there had been someone else. James had attacked Ness outside the ice cream shop and thrown her into a blue truck, not a black car.

"Yes," she confirmed, a hint of dread in her tone. "I'm starting to wonder if Charlie arrested the wrong man. There could've been two black cars fitting that description in Forks on Sunday, and it just happened to be a coincidence that the man they caught was wanted for stalking women. I mean, it's possible."

I laughed and said, "That would be quite the coincidence, but I'm willing to believe anything right now."

Twisting out of her embrace, I turned and pulled Ness into my arms. She relaxed against my chest, sighing, and I could feel the pounding of her heart as it beat in rhythm with mine.

We were both in this together. I couldn't and wouldn't let her go, no matter the consequences. Whoever was out there, trying to scare us to death, would have to get through me. I would fight until my very last breath to keep her safe.

"Whoever was driving the car probably saw what we did, Jake. What if they were in it together?" Ness asked through a sudden veil of heavy sobs.

The sound of her tears ripped a hole right through the center of my heart. I pulled her closer to my chest, if that were even possible, trying to comfort her.

"They saw what we did, and now they're out to get both of us," I affirmed, rubbing my cheek against hers in an attempt to wipe away her tears.

"Seeking revenge..." her trembling voice trailed off, the sobs brutally taking over. "I'm so sorry, Jake. This is all my fault!"

"Ness." I pulled back, placing both of my hands on each side of her face. "This is _not_ in any way your fault!"

"But Jake-he came after me! They wanted _me_ this whole time!" she screamed hysterically into the night air, rendering my heart to a thousand shattered pieces.

"Even so, I wasn't going to let them have you." I drew her back into my arms, placing one of my palms behind her head. "We're in this together, Ness. I'm not letting anything happen to you ever again. Not on my watch."

We stood there in silence for several minutes with only the sounds of the crackling flames from the barrel as our background music.

Ness finally sighed and said, "We have to tell Charlie, Jake."

"I know." I sighed as well, pulling back from our embrace. "That's what I was thinking about when you came out here."

"Telling Charlie terrifies me. I don't want to lose you." Her voice was so sincere. My heart began to mend itself at the sound of her words.

I closed my eyes. "Believe me. I'm petrified of telling him. It's probably the hardest thing I'll ever have to do in my life."

"Charlie trusts you, Jake. I'm not exactly sure why, but he does." Ness'voice was saturated in confusion, but then her tone suddenly changed to hopeful. "I know he can get us out of this mess. He'll do anything in his power to make sure whoever's following us pays for what they did to my parents."

"I hadn't even thought of that..." My words faded as thoughts of what this possibly could mean for uncovering the truth behind Bella and Edward's deaths.

James Volturi was the name of the drunk driver who supposedly hit and killed Ness' parents that fateful night four years ago. Charlie would probably jump at the chance to find out the hidden truth as to what really happened to Bella and Edward. However, I knew it would tear open tightly-sealed wounds and cause Charlie much heartache and pain.

"It scares me to think that my parents could've died for reasons other than we thought," Ness said worriedly. "What if whoever is out to get us actually killed my parents? Maybe it wasn't James at all."

Ness' words spoke volumes, reading the thoughts streaming through my mind as if it were an open book. I glanced over her shoulder at the barrel of flames, instantly regretting destroying important evidence that probably could have led us to the truth.

"Oh, God, Jake...this is going to _kill_ Charlie," Ness lamented, bringing a hand to her face to cover her shock-filled eyes.

"I know, Ness." I put an arm around her shoulder and kissed the side of her head. "Come on. Let me drive you home. We'll tell him tonight...together."

Escorting her toward my father's house, I ran my hand down her arm and laced my fingers tightly between hers. We said goodbye to my father, who was too distracted by his televised baseball game to even notice, and as we left the house, I made sure all the doors and windows were locked for his added safety. I doubted that the person who was out to get us would try to attack my father, but I took all the necessary precautions just to be certain.

The fear and nervousness welled up in every cell of my being as I led Ness to her truck. I opened the passenger side door for her and then walked over to the driver's side, hesitantly taking my seat behind the steering wheel. My eyes stared perplexedly down at the mechanism that would carry me to my ultimate fate.

I felt as if I were standing at the edge of a precipice. I could either stay here and suffer through this horrible nightmare with Ness by my side, _or_ seek out someone's help and possibly have her ripped away from me. My heart was torn, but my head already knew the right decision.

With my head on straight, I firmly gripped the key in the ignition, turned over the engine, and drove Ness' truck steadily toward Forks.

* * *

**Renesmee's POV**

I couldn't believe we were doing this.

Jacob and I had decided to confess everything about that horrifying night to Charlie. I knew that finding his murder weapon in my truck had been the final straw for Jacob. Someone knew our secret and was out for blood. We couldn't hide what we'd done any longer, even if that meant telling the one person I cared most about in this world that I'd been an accessory to murder. Mostly, I was afraid of telling him that my parents' homicide may not have happened in the way we originally thought. The sheer thought of breaking the news to Charlie sent shudders in waves throughout my entire body.

"You remind me a lot of your mother when you do that," Jacob said from the driver's seat of my truck, cracking a hint of a smile.

"What am I doing?" I asked confusedly, looking down at my hands folded together in my lap.

"Biting your lip when you're nervous," he said and glanced at me with kind eyes.

"Oh." I forced my lips together, suddenly embarrassed. "I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"By all means, don't stop on my account." He chuckled, and the sound of his laughter made me smile. It helped to quell the uneasiness pooling in the pit of my stomach. "I find it very sexy."

"Oh, you do, huh?" I inquired bashfully, biting my lip in response.

"Yes, very much," Jacob replied in his husky voice, steering the car into Charlie's driveway. He shifted the car into park and looked over at me. "So, are you ready for this?"

Disregarding his question, I forcefully blurted out, "Jake, what were my parents like when you knew them?"

Sighing, Jacob killed the engine and placed the keys on the seat beside him.

"Well," he said after a few lingering seconds, draping his arm across the seat. "Your mother was kind, passionate, smart...she had the ability to make everyone around her feel loved and needed. I've never met another woman-apart from you, of course-who made me feel more loved than she did."

"That's definitely Mom," I agreed, smiling through a blanket of silent tears that now covered my eyes. "She always made me feel like I was her whole world-as if she would do anything to make me happy."

"Yes, that's Bells all right," he mused, and then laughed. "And she was clumsy..."

"I know, right?" I chuckled, stealing a glance at Jacob's face. "My dad always said she'd trip over her own two feet."

"Ah, your dad..." Jacob uncomfortably cleared his throat, his playful tone suddenly fading. He looked off toward the neighbor's yard. "I never really got to know your dad, Ness."

"I know," I admitted regretfully. "I'm sure it wasn't easy being friends with a guy who had the same feelings for my mom as you did."

"No, it wasn't," he said thoughtfully and shifted in his seat. "You know, no matter how cross I was with him, Edward was always gracious to me-always polite. He did however get insanely jealous when your mother would come to visit me in La Push."

"So you stayed friends even after she started dating my dad?"

"Yeah, believe it or not. She still wanted to spend time with me." Jacob smiled almost deviously. "Sometimes, Edward would even drive her to meet me."

I laughed, running a hand through my auburn hair. "That's crazy. I know how jealous my dad could be."

"Yeah," Jacob said, scratching his head, and then frowned. "But he loved your mom. Like me, he would've done _anything_ for her."

"That's true." I nodded, several tears escaping my eyes at the memory of my father. "I'm guessing you didn't stay friends for long, though."

"Nope," he replied, popping the p. "My actions the night of their prom soon alienated me from her. Bells wanted _nothing_ to do with me after that, so we parted ways."

"Oh, I never realized _that's_ what ended your friendship," I fretted, biting my lip again. "I thought it was..."

"You?" Jacob interjected, taking my hand into his warm palm, and scooted closer to me on the seat. He held my hand up to his heart. "No, Ness. While it hurt me deeply to know she was pregnant with another man's child...it made her happy. I'd never seen her happier than while she was pregnant with you."

I closed my brown eyes, more tears spilling from their depths. They weren't mournful tears-far from it. They were tears of joy; it made my heart swell to know that my mother was happy while she was pregnant with me, not scared out of her mind and regretful as I'd always thought. At only eighteen, she'd had to put her life on hold to have me, finally graduating from college ten years later.

Jacob wrapped me in his arms, pulling me into a comforting hug.

"Thanks, Jake." I let out a breath against his shoulder. "I needed to hear that."

"Sure, sure," he whispered, combing his fingers soothingly through my hair. I loved to hear him repeat that simple phrase. "I think Bells would've wanted you to find out everything you could to bring her murderer to justice."

"Yeah, my parents did so much for me. It's time for me to take care of them, no matter the cost."

"My thoughts exactly." Jacob pulled back, letting me go, but still keeping his arm extended along the top of the seat.

"Jake?" I asked, suddenly wanting to know another secret about his past with my mom.

"Yeah?" He gave me his full attention, although he seemed a little despondent.

"Did you and my mom ever...?" I let my question ask itself.

"Kiss?" He laughed, blushing, and I nodded in response. "Yeah, we kissed once."

"Really?" I felt overwhelmingly relieved at his words. The fact that they'd only kissed once meant they'd never had sex. I wasn't sure what my reaction would have been if he'd told me otherwise.

"It didn't last long, though." He sighed, crooking his lips into a suspicious grin.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I was, too...she punched me," Jacob admitted, his smile widening from ear to ear.

I couldn't help but to giggle.

"It was after I told her that I loved her and wanted her to pick me over your dad. Boy, did I regret that one." He rolled his eyes and then flirtingly winked at me. "But I happily wore that shiner for a week or two."

I keeled over in laughter. "What happened after that?"

"Well, Edward wasn't very happy about it. Charlie found out and seemed kind of smug for days afterward."

"Totally a Charlie response." I smiled at the thought of Charlie being satisfied at how well he'd trained my mother to fend off attackers-even one as muscular as Jacob Black.

The laughter soon faded, and the somber mood fatefully returned.

"You sure about this?" Jacob finally broke the silence, restlessly running his hands down his thighs.

"I'm sure," I said confidently, retrieving the set of keys off the seat between us.

"No matter what happens?" Jacob's question was more of a statement as if he was trying to convince the both of us.

"Yes."

"Ness," Jacob whispered, leaning forward to grab my chin, and kissed me dead on the lips. He then pulled back and stared intently into my eyes.

"I love you." He took the words right out of my mouth.

I closed my brown eyes briefly to savor the moment.

"I love you, too, Jake," I reciprocated wholeheartedly, my eyes fluttering open.

I'd never spoken that phrase to any other man, not even Nahuel. It thrilled me to know that I felt this way about Jacob, but it also terrified me just the same. We had only known each other for five days.

Jacob half-smiled as if it physically hurt him to hear those three meaningful words escape from my lips. He then exited the truck and opened the passenger side door for me.

Grabbing onto my hand, he kissed it tenderly before leading me up the steps to Charlie's front door.

**Attn: Not much action in this one, just some transition and revelations (hence the chapter title), but I hope you still enjoyed it! Ness & Jake tell Charlie in the next chapter. How do you think he'll take the news? Chapter 9 might leave a little lemony taste in your mouth as well. We'll see. ;) Please let me know your thoughts. Remember reviewers get teased!**


	9. Chapter 9: Only Fools Rush In

_"Wise men say only fools rush in,  
But I can't help falling in love with you.  
Shall I stay?  
Would it be a sin  
If I can't help falling in love with you?_

_Like a river flows surely to the sea,  
Darling so it goes.  
Some things are meant to be.  
Take my hand, take my whole life too,  
For I can't help falling in love with you."_

_~ Elvis Presley, "Can't Help Falling in Love"  
(words and music by George Weiss, Hugo Peretti, and Luigi Creatore)_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 9: Only Fools Rush In**

**Renesmee's POV**

"Goodnight, Charlie."

The front door suddenly opened, startling us, as Jacob and I walked up the steps leading to the house. A brown-skinned woman with long, salt and pepper hair stepped out onto the porch, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw us. She appeared to be a native from the Quileute reservation.

"Sue?" Jacob questioned, his face twisted in confusion.

"Jacob," she warily said his name, looking back at Charlie, who had curiously popped his head out the door.

Charlie stared wide-eyed at the woman named Sue, almost as if he were a small child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and leaned against the door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob continued, glancing down at our hands wound together and then at my face. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, and tried to read his puzzled expression.

"Well, um...just brought Charlie some dinner and we got to talking. Isn't that right, Charlie?" Sue answered, eyeing my grandfather, who looked suddenly embarrassed.

"Uh, right." Charlie tightened his arms around his chest, and I noticed his gray hair appeared somewhat disheveled. Even a few of the buttons on his red flannel shirt were fastened into the wrong holes. My jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Charlie cleared his throat. "Sue was just leaving, Ness."

"This is the famous Nessie?" Sue happily grinned, turning to me. I nodded and forced a befuddled grin. "Oh, Charlie, she's gorgeous! I think she may take after your side of the family."

She peered over her shoulder at Charlie, who worriedly licked his lips and sighed in response. It was his usual nervous tick.

"Ness, this is Sue Clearwater, a member of the Quileute Tribal Council," Jacob introduced her, obviously trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation.

Sue reached out her right hand, and I let go of Jacob's hand to shake hers.

"Thanks for the compliment. It's nice to meet you." I smiled from ear to ear, stealing a peek at my grandfather, as everything began to click into place. Charlie wasn't the only one who had found love recently. Maybe that's why he'd been a little chipper than usual when I came home from school last Friday. I couldn't be happier for my grandfather; he had been a bachelor for as long as I could remember.

"Likewise, Nessie. Charlie won't shut up about you half the time," Sue said as her brown eyes focused now on Jacob's left hand, which immediately wrapped around my right. "So I guess I'm not the only one who's slumming it with the pale faces, huh, Jacob?"

I sensed humor in her tone, but I felt the pangs in my chest from the slight trace of prejudice in her words.

"Sue, please!" Charlie's discomfited voice tried to silence her.

"I'm only kidding, Charlie. Jacob knows that." The woman who had won my grandfather's affections sighed, pulling the sides of her fleece jacket closer together and repositioning the crimson scarf around her neck. "Well, I better head back to the rez. Leah's bringing her husband and the grandkids up from Olympia for Billy's fish fry Friday night. They should be getting in early tomorrow morning."

"Leah's coming back to the rez?" Jacob asked, almost angrily, squeezing my hand in a death grip. I wondered for a brief moment why he was using that tone with her.

"Just for a few nights, Jacob. I haven't seen the grandkids since Harry's um..._passing_." Sue appeared saddened all of a sudden, and I gathered from her statement that Harry must have been her deceased husband. She quickly composed herself. "Well, goodnight, Chief."

"Goodnight," Jacob and Charlie said at the same time, and then glanced at each other, astounded.

"It was great meeting you, Nessie." Suppressing a giggle, Sue waved and headed down the steps to her waiting car.

I turned and gave my grandfather a knowing look with a slight smirk on my face. He held up his arms in surrender.

"Not a word, Ness," Charlie said, rolling his eyes, and then asked Jacob, "Just dropping my granddaughter off?"

Jacob squeezed my hand once more and nodded, reminding me of our initial purpose for being there together.

"Well, Charlie, there's something we would like to discuss with you," I spoke up, grasping Jacob's hand tighter for added strength.

"No, no, no." Charlie vehemently shook his head and raked his hands through his silvery hair. "You two are NOT running away and getting mar-"

"Uh, Charlie," Jacob laughingly interjected. "While I love your granddaughter and all, I don't think we're quite ready to take that step yet. I'm afraid what we need to discuss is a little more serious than that."

Charlie's expression suddenly hardened. "Well, come on in...uh, Jacob." He cleared his throat. "I'm all ears."

"Thanks, Charlie," Jacob said, escorting me across the threshold and into the house.

The three of us went into the living room, and I could feel the surge of apprehensiveness swelling in my mind and in the pit of my stomach. Jacob and I took a seat on the forest green couch, and Charlie sat across from us in his recliner.

"Jeez, you two look as if someone died," Charlie half-joked, folding his palms together and resting his elbows on his knees.

Jacob and I glanced at each other solemnly, and I shifted my body nervously atop the cushion.

"Well, Charlie...someone did," I said, hearing Jacob loudly gulp, and felt his hand tremble as it held mine.

"What do you mean?" Charlie's eyes grew wide, shifting his gaze to Jacob. "Not Billy."

"No, my dad's fine, Charlie." Jacob paused and took a deep breath, glancing at me for reassurance. I nodded, biting my lower lip, and tried to keep myself from completely losing my mind as well. "Well, when I took Ness out for ice cream Monday night, it was raining, so I had her stay in the car..."

"Yeah?" Charlie anxiously questioned when Jacob was quiet for a few seconds.

"A man attacked her while I was inside," Jacob revealed, running his shaky thumb back and forth over mine.

The memory of James' passionate face came charging back to me in that moment, and I could almost feel the impression of his rough hands constricting about my wrists. I shuddered at the sensation, closing my eyelids tightly, as if to purge the memory from my brain.

"Ness, why didn't you tell me?" Charlie's question made me open my eyes. Shock immediately flooded his face.

"She didn't tell you, Charlie," Jacob spat out, grinding his teeth together, "because I begged her not to."

"Jacob, why would you do something like that? I could've gone after that bastard and had him locked up for good," Charlie frustratingly bellowed, coming onto his feet. His hands curled into fists, and he looked as if he were ready to pounce my boyfriend for not telling him about the attack.

"Because I-I..._killed_ him, Charlie." Jacob let go of my hand and placed his head between his knees, gasping for breath. I immediately put my arms around him for comfort, but he suddenly jerked away, raising his head to look at my grandfather. "I beat the shit of out him for what he was going to do to Ness, and now he's dead!"

"Holy shit..." Charlie swore under his breath, rubbing his jaw with his fingers.

"I didn't mean to do it, Charlie," Jacob pleaded, clasping his hands fiercely together. I could see the veins angrily pulsating beneath his skin of his forearms. "Something just snapped, and I couldn't force myself to stop."

"Uh..." Charlie blinked his eyes in disbelief as if he were trying to mask his emotions, and then went completely into cop mode. "Where's the body?"

"We dumped it over the cliffs near First Beach," I timidly admitted when Jacob didn't answer.

"You helped him, Ness?" Disappointment flashed across Charlie's face as the question sent daggers into my heart.

"Charlie, I'm sor-" I shamefully started to say, looking down at the carpeted floor, but Jacob irately cut me off.

"Don't blame her, Charlie." Jacob came to a standing position in front of my grandfather, and readily pressed his forearms together, his hands held upward. "If you want to place the blame on anyone, it's me. I'm the one who killed James, and _I_ should be the one who is punished for it."

"James?" Charlie asked, utterly dumbfounded. He stole a quick glance at me, and then turned his attention back to Jacob. "You knew who he was?"

"Yes. The man I..._killed_ was...James Volturi," Jacob disclosed, holding his head down, as if trying to avoid my grandfather's reaction.

"That's not funny, Jacob," Charlie uneasily huffed. I knew the very mention of the man who allegedly killed my parents would madden him. "James Volturi has been dead and buried for four years!"

"You're wrong," Jacob countered, lifting his head to look into Charlie's eyes. "We checked his wallet. It was him."

"It can't be..." Charlie sat back down on his recliner and ran his hands down the slopes of his cheeks, gathering them at his mouth. "I saw the son of a bitch's body with my own eyes...it was crushed beyond recognition, but we were able to match up his dental records."

"I know that, Charlie, but this guy had a picture of Ness in his wallet." Jacob reached down and grabbed my hand again. I stood up and melted into Jacob's embrace as his arms wrapped around me. "Why would he have a picture of her if he wasn't involved in the accident somehow?"

"He had a picture of Ness? Shit." Charlie pressed his palms to his forehead and massaged his temples. It hurt me deeply to see my grandfather this way. I knew his heart was breaking, having to recall the images of the night my parents died and the murderer who was responsible.

"We think he faked his own death and came back to murder Bella and Edward's only daughter." Jacob desperately kissed the top of my head, shutting his eyelids securely together. "I was _not_ going to let that happen."

"Why would he do that, Jacob?" Charlie confusedly inquired, rising up from the recliner to meet us. "Why would he want to kill Ness?"

"We don't know, Charlie," I told my grandfather, giving him an optimistic expression. "We were hoping you could help us figure this all out."

"I'm just stunned at all of this," Charlie answered, stroking the back of his neck. I had never seen my grandfather so panicked. "Are you telling me everything? You're not leaving anything out, are you?"

"Well...the board I used to hit James with...someone found it and put it in Ness' truck tonight as some sort of sick joke." Jacob gulped. "Someone knows what happened. Someone witnessed it, and is out to scare us to death."

"I was afraid you were going to say something to that effect." Charlie looked back at my boyfriend, putting his hands on his hips. "Where is it now?"

"I destroyed it," Jacob admitted, glancing down at his feet.

"What?" Charlie seemed to be getting more frustrated by the minute. I could already make out the fiery glint in his eyes. "You shouldn't have done that, Jacob."

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I know it could've had contained evidence to finding out who was behind all of this mess. I regret it now."

"I'll say," Charlie agreed, and then he was quiet for several excruciatingly long seconds. He seemed to have drifted into a daze from everything we had told him.

"Jacob?"

"Yes, Charlie," Jacob replied, his expression uncertain.

"Thank you," Charlie simply said, his eyes softening.

"For what?"

"For protecting my granddaughter." Charlie became choked up with emotion, a hint of tears glistening now in his eyes. "I don't think I could have handled losing Ness too."

"Sure, sure," Jacob responded with a nod, pulling me tighter against his chest.

The two men I loved more than my own life stood in the living room in silence. I sent out an unspoken prayer, thanking my lucky stars that Charlie didn't completely flip out and haul us down to the station right then and there. I wasn't sure why I ever doubted him.

"Where's your car?" Charlie suddenly asked Jacob, making me jump.

"At my house. Why?" Jacob let me go, but clung to my hand as if he instinctively knew I needed that connection to him to stay strong.

"We need to get rid of it," Charlie firmly said.

"Why do we have to do that, Charlie?" I interposed.

"Because I'm assuming James' dead body didn't just get up and walk all the way from the ice cream shop to the cliffs." Charlie's eyes focused on me, and then averted to Jacob. "We can't risk his body washing ashore with fibers from the car's upholstery on his clothes. It's too easy to trace back to you."

"But everyone on the rez knows I drive a Rabbit. They could easily rat me out to the cops if they wanted to." Jacob's face filled with worry.

"With just a few calls, I can make sure there's no trace of you ever owning one," Charlie said confidently. "There'll be no record to support their statements."

"Thank you, Charlie." Jacob's shoulders relaxed in ultimate relief.

I broke free from Jacob's grasp and hugged my grandfather around the neck to show my appreciation. I could feel his unconditional love for me radiating off every fiber of his skin.

"I also know a place down in Longview," Charlie continued, holding me close as if he might never let me go. "An auto salvage place. The owner was a friend of mine when I trained for the force many years ago. We'll drive down there tomorrow morning and have the Rabbit destroyed."

* * *

"Ness, you still awake?" I heard Jacob's voice in a low, velvety whisper as I lay awake in my bed, staring mindlessly up at the ceiling.

"Yes, everything okay?" I rolled myself underneath the covers so that I was facing the open bedroom door.

Jacob's large form stood in the doorway. The soft light from the hallway trickled into the room, illuminating his beautiful face. His round biceps bulged from beneath the black fabric of his shirt, and I had to remember to breathe as I took in the sight before me.

"Yeah, Charlie sent a couple of squad cars over to my dad's house," Jacob said, coming into the room and carefully shutting the door. "They'll make sure nothing happens to him while I'm here."

"Jake, you shouldn't worry about me so much." I brushed the hair back from my face and sat up in the bed, gathering the covers around my waist. "You should've stayed with your dad."

"I couldn't leave you, Ness," he opposed, sitting down on the bed beside me. He reached out and took my left hand in his. "I would've been worried out of my mind. Charlie and I both suspect that whoever it is out there wants you and nothing else. I'll do everything in my power to protect you."

I sighed, feeling the warmth of Jacob's hand in mine. He always knew just the right words to say to calm me. While I was concerned about his father all alone on the reservation, it eased my mind to know that someone was keeping watch over him. I also was equally thankful that Jacob was here with me. I didn't know how I would have survived the night not knowing if he were safe.

"Where's Charlie?" I peered up at Jacob's face, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Downstairs." Jacob laughed, and a mischievous grin played across his pink lips. "He's taken up post on the couch with his shotgun. He wanted me to stay up here with you tonight for extra protection."

"Really? He willingly agreed to let you stay in my room with me tonight?" I asked in disbelief, returning his smile.

"I don't think he's too worried about us sleeping in the same room together, Ness," he replied, pushing himself off the bed. "Not when there's a possible threat on your life."

"Right," I concurred, watching Jacob take the quilt from the foot of my bed and spread it out on the rug beside the nightstand. "What are you doing?"

"Making the floor a little more comfortable." Jacob adjusted the quilt on the floor, and then reached across me to grab one of the pillows off my bed.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you sleep on the floor when there's plenty of room beside me here?" I temptingly patted the empty space beside me on the bed.

"Ness," Jacob said, kneeling beside the bed, and placing his hands on the mattress in front of me. "Charlie already suspects that we've slept together. I don't want to give him any further encouragement in his suspicions. I also don't want him to go back on his word to help us out of our situation. He could easily turn me in, and I could go to jail. Do you want that?"

"No," I murmured, thoroughly disappointed, but I knew he was right yet again.

"Good." Jacob leaned in and kissed my forehead before pulling back to untie his boots.

Huffing, I laid back against the soft comfort of my bed, and soon heard Jacob position himself beside me on the floor.

"Jacob?" I asked after several minutes of listening to his steady breaths.

"Yeah, Ness." The rugged tone of his voice pierced the quiet tranquility of the room.

"What you said in the truck before we came in..." I didn't finish my sentence. Instead, I fearfully chewed on my bottom lip.

"You mean when I said I loved you," Jacob read my mind like an open book. I heard him shifting on the floor, possibly rolling over on one side.

"Yes," I answered, and rolled over in the direction of his voice. I placed my right arm under the pillow and clutched it closer to my head. "Did you mean it, or was it said out of fear that you might not ever see me again?"

"I meant every word." Jacob sighed. "I love you, Ness."

"I love you, too, Jake." A small tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek, absorbing into the pillowcase below. "It's just...this has happened all so suddenly. I'm afraid that what I'm feeling may just be because of the situation we're in, not actual love."

"You're having second thoughts..." Jacob's voice wavered as he spoke almost as if he were upset.

"Maybe I am," I confessed timorously, feeling more moisture seep from the corners of my brown eyes. "I don't know."

"Ness." Jacob came onto his knees beside the bed, looking into my eyes. He took my left hand and pressed it to his chest just above his heart. "Do you feel that?"

I closed my eyes, reveling at the even, unbroken rhythm of his heart. Its music was soothing and calming like a lullaby. I could have easily drifted off to sleep listening to its hypnotic beat.

"My heart races every time I'm near you, Ness. It flutters when I touch you, when I brush my lips against yours. It beams with nothing but happiness when I hold you in my arms." Jacob's brown eyes gleamed in the faint streak of moonlight that filtered into the room. "Hell, it even aches when you're not next to me. You're a part of me now, Ness. I'll never be whole again without you."

"Jake, I don't know what to say." I was at a complete loss for words. The warmth of his skin against my hand was exhilarating.

"Do you love me, Ness?" Jacob shamelessly asked, my hand still pressed to his heart. "Can you just lay there and deny what's happening between us? It's there, Ness, and I can feel it."

"I'm just so scared, Jake." I looked away in disgrace. If I wholeheartedly gave my love to him, I could possibly get hurt further down the road. Our age difference began to worry me, too. He was so much older than I was. Who knew what I would feel when I turned thirty or even forty? Would my feelings for him still be the same?

"Of what?" His forefinger lifted my chin.

"Of everything," I honestly told him.

"Ness, if you're worried that I'm gonna to leave you, you're wrong. I'll _never_leave you. We met for a reason last Saturday night. I know it sounds completely crazy, given we've only known each other for a few days, but I want you, baby-all of you, for the rest of my life."

As I gazed into his deep brown eyes, I knew every word from his mouth exuded truth. And I knew I wanted him for the rest of my life as well.

"I love you," Jacob said softly, cupping my face in his hands. He pulled my head toward his and placed a small kiss to my lips.

As he pulled back, I whispered, my eyes closed, "I love you, too."

I opened my eyes only to see Jacob's grin stretch across the breadth of his face. He leaned in for another kiss, officially sealing our love for each other. His plump lips tasted warm and delicious, but my body craved more in that moment. Jacob had just said that he wanted all of me, and I greedily, shamefully wanted _all_ of him.

I gripped the back of his head, holding his lips firmly to mine as I devoured them. I came onto my knees, using one of my hands to maneuver the sheets out from under them. Moving with me, Jacob stood beside my bed, his lips still hungrily sampling mine. I ran my hands up his well-toned arms and traced the lines of the black tattoo on his right shoulder underneath his sleeve, slowly reaching my destination around his neck. Jacob clutched me tightly around my waist, pressing his raging erection against my pelvis. He lustfully bit my bottom lip when I automatically began to grind against him.

"Ness, we can't do this...not with Charlie downstairs," Jacob panted into my ear after breaking away from my lips. His forehead fell to my shoulder in frustration. I knew he was right, but I also knew I couldn't fight back my wanton need for him. It was too difficult to control.

I lifted his head with a hand under each ear, forcing him to look into my eyes.

"Jake, I want to make love to you. Please," I whispered just millimeters from his lips. "I'll be very quiet, I promise."

"Oh, I'm not worried about you being quiet," he said with a tiny smirk. "It's me I'm worried about."

I left out a subdued chuckle, and seductively bit my bottom lip. He had told me earlier that he found the action sexy.

"Oh, fuck it." Jacob forcefully pulled my head toward him and molded his lips to mine.

I smiled against his lips, secretly rejoicing that he had given into me so easily.

Pushing him down on the bed, I straddled his waist and ran my hands up the cotton fabric of his t-shirt. Jacob sat up briefly and helped me remove it from his body. He then lay his head back down against the pillows, placing his hands underneath my teddy, and clasping them to my bottom.

"You're not wearing any panties," Jacob said breathlessly, his eyes wide with shock.

"Nope, I'm not." I shook my head at him, blushing, and coyly placed the forefinger of my right hand in my mouth. "Remember, you destroyed them earlier."

"Well, fuck me."

"Gladly." I giggled, sneaking my palms up his abdominals, memorizing every curve to each muscle as I went.

Leaning forward, I jutted out my tongue and ravenously traced the grooves between his abs. His skin tasted like hot, melted caramel beneath my tongue, and I greedily relished in the glorious flavor that was Jacob Black.

Using my tongue as my guide, I unhurriedly ascended to his nipples and sucked hard on the left one.

"Shit," Jacob murmured, and I could feel the vibrations of the word against my mouth.

I raised my head and gave my love an amorous grin.

Jacob's lips parted as he whisperingly begged, "Please."

I instantly returned my lips to his chest, tracing a line down the middle of his pectorals all the way to his bellybutton. I felt Jacob suck in a breath as my lips reached the top of his jeans. My fingers soon found the button and zipper, slowly releasing him from his pants and boxer briefs. His beautiful erection lay out before me, and I cravingly licked my lips at the sight, my mouth beginning to water.

Grasping him in my hands, I lowered my head and gently kissed the tip of his dick.

"Oh, yes," Jacob moaned as I glided my tongue down his length and back up again. "Suck it, Ness. Please."

Without hesitating, I encased my mouth around him and began to suck roughly.

"Fuck." Jacob fastened his hands around my head, guiding himself toward the back of my throat.

I relaxed my throat and let him do the work, while still using my tongue to intensify his pleasure.

Suddenly, Jacob stopped his frantic movements, grabbing onto my shoulders.

"I need to be inside you _now_."

Smiling, I let him drop from my mouth and demurely replied, "Yes, Chief."

I then climbed on top of him, placing my bent knees on either side of his waist. Jacob powerfully fisted the bottom of my teddy, and I raised my arms as he tugged it over my head. He tossed it heftily into the darkness of the room.

"God, you're so beautiful, Ness." He ran his calloused right palm down the valley between my bare breasts. My breath hitched in my throat as his fingers descended and grazed the place that achingly hungered for him. "You take my breath away. I can't believe you're all mine."

"I can't believe _you're_ mine," I said, leaning forward to press my lips to his. "Now, relax and let me make love to you."

Jacob didn't say another word as I supported myself with one arm and reached between my legs with the other, placing him at my wet entrance. I slowly lowered myself down on him, allowing him to completely fill me body and soul.

Grabbing onto my hips, Jacob pushed upward as I gradually started to rock back and forth on top of him. Soon, we set an unhurried pace, and Jacob's strong hands continued to guide my gentle thrusts against him.

The feeling of Jacob inside me could not be rendered into words, except for one: _love_. I could feel his love for me with every movement, every touch, as we connected in the most intimate way possible.

I rocked forward slightly, massaging my clit, as I thrust myself against him. Realizing what I was doing, I began to feel empowered by the way our bodies were positioned, and not to mention, incredibly sexy.

"Come for me, baby," Jacob groaned, closing his eyes. "Come."

I increased my pace, stroking myself, faster and harder. I watched with devilish delight as Jacob's expression contorted in pleasure with my frantic movements, his eyes still closed. I could tell he wouldn't last much longer.

Feeling my orgasm surmount, I firmly shut my eyes and concentrated on bringing myself to release.

"Open your eyes, Ness," Jacob swept the hair back from my face and tucked several strands behind my ears. My eyes fluttered open. "I want to look into your eyes when you come."

I braced my right hand on his chest, staring fixedly into his gorgeous brown eyes as I rapidly rubbed myself against him. I wanted to stare into those eyes forever.

"Jay-" I cried out, my release beginning to climax, but before I could scream the last syllable of his name, I felt a ferocious hand cup over my mouth.

Silently thanking him for his quick thinking, I rode him harder, the surges of my orgasm careening over me in tidal waves. I clenched my teeth around one of his fingers to keep from crying out into his hand again.

Jacob's body then buckled beneath me, and I felt him release inside me as the last few waves of my orgasm receded. He groaned loudly, and I leaned down, silencing him with my lips. My gaze never deflected from his once.

With one final thrust, Jacob fixed his palms around my cheeks and kissed me fervently. I felt it all the way to my knees.

"God, I love you," he said, pulling away. I crumpled on top of him, laying my head against his chest.

Our uneven breaths soon became the only sounds that permeated the room, and then, Jacob heartily laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, raising my head from his chest.

"I just realized that we're going to have to face Charlie in the morning," Jacob answered, grinning widely.

I nervously bit one of my nails. "Oh, God, I hope he didn't hear us."

Not even a second after the last word crossed my lips, we both jumped as the echo of what resembled a gun cocking resounded from somewhere downstairs.

**Attn: As promised, I gave you a little lemony action in this chapter. What do you think of Charlie's reaction? What do you think happened to Charlie downstairs? I would love to know your thoughts and send a little teaser your way. ;) Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Storm and the Calm

_"Fire can make a conscience clean. Strike the match, we'll see."_

_~Anberlin, "There is No Mathematics to Love and Loss"_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 10: The Storm and the Calm**

**Jacob's POV**

"Shit!" I swore at the sound from downstairs, rising up from the bed. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Jake, I'm so sorry." Ness quickly dismounted me and ran her fingers through her red curls. Her cheeks flushed, and a panicked look shot across her features.

"It's okay, Ness. It was just as much my fault as yours," I told her, my eyes raking over her nude body as she stood before me.

Against my better judgment, I knelt on top of the bed and reached out my right hand to cup her left breast. It felt so soft, yet firm, against my palm. Even though I knew her grandfather could burst through the bedroom door at any second, I couldn't resist the urge to wrap my lips around her pert nipple.

"You're just too damn sexy." I lapped my tongue around the peak once, peering up at her in nothing but adoration. "I'm finding it very difficult to keep my hands off you."

Her chocolate brown eyes locked into mine, and she responsively bit her bottom lip. My dick instantly hardened at the sight.

So. Fucking. Sexy.

My mind was still reeling from what Ness had confessed to me earlier. She loved me, and I could hardly believe how goddamn lucky I was to have her in my life.

"Jake..." Ness's sweet voice whispered. At the same time, I felt her fingers sweep through my hair and force my head back from her tits. "Charlie, remember?"

"Oh, yeah, right," I managed to say, blinking and shaking my head to rid it of her spell.

I took a deep breath in through my nose, trying to calm myself down, and realized the entire room reeked of sex. Fuck, Charlie was going to have me castrated. I should have known better than to sleep with his granddaughter under his own roof.

Scrambling to my feet, I hurriedly searched the dark bedroom for my clothes, which were now strewn across the floor. Ness did the same, and once we were dressed, I slowly opened her bedroom door and peeked out into the upstairs hallway.

"Stay here, Ness," I warned, holding up my palm toward her.

"No, I want to come with you," she begged, and clasped her hands onto my arm in a vice grip. Her worried eyes melted any resolve I still possessed. "We're in this together."

"Okay, just stay behind me," I caved, cautiously stepping out into the hallway. "We still don't know why Charlie cocked his gun in the first place. It could be an intruder."

Taking one step at a time, I shielded Ness with my arms as we passed her mother's old bedroom and reached the top of the stairs.

"Charlie?" I called, pausing on the top step. "Everything okay down there?"

No answer.

"Stay here." I kissed Ness's forehead, and carefully descended several steps before calling out again, "Charlie?"

Taking the remainder of the steps, I noticed a dark shadow, silhouetted against the front door in the bright moonlight. My heart racing, I looked back up at Ness and pressed a finger to my lips. She placed a hand over her mouth and clung to the banister for extra support.

I slowly crept toward the door, reaching into Charlie's umbrella stand and grasping hold of the first makeshift weapon I could find.

_Ah, a baseball bat. Nice one, Charlie,_ I thought to myself.

Holding the bat securely to my chest, I quietly plastered my back against the wall. My eyes fixated on the doorknob as it gradually started to turn, the door extending outward with the motion.

I stepped forward, my hands tightly gripping the bat, and raised it up over my right shoulder in preparation to strike. I was going to protect Ness and Charlie at all costs, fighting to the bitter end. No one would ever hurt them again.

The door violently swung open, and I immediately loosened my grip on the bat when I realized who was standing in the doorway. My heart fell in my chest as I took a deep breath and sighed in relief.

"Damn raccoons," Charlie swore, scraping the mud off his boats on the rug just inside the door. He then saw me standing there with the bat in my hands and chuckled. "Not to worry, Jacob. Everything's fine. Just some raccoons trying to rummage through the garbage out back."

"Charlie!" Ness raced down the stairs in nothing but her silk nightgown and wrapped her thin arms around his neck. He held her tightly against his chest, kissing her hair. "Thank God you're okay. I was so worried."

As Charlie hugged her, the bottom of her nightgown inched up slightly, revealing the soft curves of her ass. I tried to look away, but to no avail. Charlie's eyes pointedly focused on me, and I swiftly darted my gaze upward to the shotgun he now held firmly against Ness's back. I flinched at the symbolism-Charlie holding a gun between Ness and me. It was my ultimate fear.

Regaining my composure, I deflected my eyes and slipped the bat back into the umbrella stand.

_On second thought,_ I silently mused, retrieving the bat to keep upstairs for the remainder of the night.

"Why don't you two head back upstairs?" Charlie suggested, letting Ness go.

"Night, Charlie," Ness said and kissed his cheek before turning to me. She exaggeratedly wiped her brow to show me how relieved she was that we weren't caught in the act. That's what I assumed anyway, though I knew better; Charlie knew exactly what we were doing upstairs. It was written all over his face. Not to mention the fact that I was just caught red-handed staring at her perfectly-rounded ass.

Ness then flew up the stairs, leaving me alone with her grandfather.

"Better head up, too, Jacob." He eyed me up and down, the shotgun draped across his left arm. "We need to get an early start if we're gonna head down to Longview tomorrow."

"Sure, sure," I said, walking languidly toward the stairs and swinging the bat at my side.

"Oh, and Jacob?" Charlie called as I took the first step. I froze, not turning around to face him. "You might want to zip up your fly."

I closed my eyes, glancing down at my waist in utter humiliation. I almost shit my pants, hoping to God that he didn't have the shotgun aimed at my back.

"Um...thanks, Charlie." I gulped and quickly zipped up my jeans before taking the stairs two at a time to rejoin Ness.

"And if I'm not mistaken, the tag's supposed to go toward the back of the shirt not the front..."

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath when I reached the top of the stairs. I pulled the front collar of my shirt outward and noticed the white tag jutting out from beneath the seam.

"Goodnight, Jacob," Charlie added with another chuckle. "Sleep well."

I could have sworn I heard him cock the gun once more before I headed into Ness's room.

* * *

The rest of the night passed without incident. Having barely escaped humiliation downstairs with Charlie, I had insisted that I sleep on the floor beside Ness' bed. I had already pushed the limits of our relationship in front of Charlie, and I didn't know how much longer he would tolerate me being in the same room with her alone. Therefore, I resolved to be a good boy, no matter how much I wanted to nestle beside my beautiful girlfriend and feel her heart beat next to mine.

Early that next morning, Charlie drove Ness and me to my father's house in La Push to retrieve my Rabbit. I stood there in the driveway for several minutes, my eyes taking in the Volkswagen I'd practically built from the wheels up with my bare hands.

Flashes of the good times I'd spent in that very same vehicle for over half of my life came rushing back to me: the time I'd driven Bella and that imbecile Mike Newton to the movies when I was sixteen, the first time I'd gotten laid in the backseat, the first real cry I'd ever had after my father's stroke, Ness' beautiful laughter filling the entire cab on our first date, the sight of James' lifeless corpse twisted on the floor of the trunk that very same night...

I blinked my eyes, attempting to force that last haunting image from my mind. I couldn't believe that I'd let myself get so carried away in the moment. I had royally fucked up, and now I would have to destroy the only thing that truly was mine.

"Jacob, you okay, son?" Charlie's distant voice called to me from his blue pickup.

"Yeah, just saying goodbye to some old ghosts," I replied, smiling in his direction.

Reluctantly, I walked over to my baby and slid into the driver's seat.

"It's been a fun ride, girl." I sighed and cranked the engine, following Charlie's truck out of my father's driveway toward the 101 South.

Just as we pulled onto the highway, I caught a glimpse of Ness as she sat beside her grandfather in the truck, her copper curls dancing in the crisp breeze flowing in through the window.

I knew then that everything I'd done up until that point was worth it. _She_ was worth it.

And I would die for her.

* * *

We reached the auto salvage yard in Longview, Washington, about noon. Charlie told Ness and me to stay in our respective vehicles while he talked with the owner, who he referred to as "Ace." He wanted to protect our identities as much as possible in the event the authorities found out about the car.

Supposedly, Charlie had known Ace ever since he'd trained for the police force several decades ago. He was confident in the fact that Ace would help destroy my Rabbit with no questions asked. Apparently, Charlie had cleared some outstanding fines Ace had accumulated while he lived in Forks. Needless to say, Ace owed the Chief a favor.

After only a few passing minutes, Charlie emerged from the tiny, mobile-home office and motioned for me to pull my Volkswagen around back to the car crusher. Not even fifteen minutes later, Ness held my hand in the cab of her grandfather's truck as I watched the car I'd grown to love almost as a member of the family as it was compressed into smithereens.

The drive home from Longview was mostly spent in silence. I guess we were all separately contemplating the whirlwind of events that had happened over the past few days. I couldn't thank Charlie enough for what he'd done to save my ass from facing possible murder charges. I also couldn't even begin to thank him for being so accepting of me dating his granddaughter, and tolerating my careless stupidity. I would be ever grateful to him.

As I peered over at his expressionless face, Ness leaned against my shoulder and slipped her right hand into my left.

"I love you," she whispered sleepily and yawned, running her free hand under the fabric of my shirt.

I sucked in a breath as her fingers ghosted along the groves between my stomach muscles. The effects of her playful touch went straight to my groin, and my head silently screamed for her hand to descend just a bit lower.

"Well, will you look at that? Some SOB's riding my bumper," Charlie unexpectedly said, making us both jump.

I hurriedly pushed Ness' hand away from the top of my jeans, and casually adjusted my erection. Charlie didn't even seem to notice our exchange; he was too busy glaring into the rearview mirror at something behind the truck.

"What is it, Charlie?" Ness sat up on the seat and turned to look out the rear windshield. "Shit, it's the black car!"

I quickly sobered, my eyes widening with the realization.

"The black car that was following you?" Charlie questioned, looking out the back glass.

"Yes, I'd know it anywhere," Ness said gloomily, slinking back down on the seat. She pulled her legs up to her chest. "Oh, God, will this ever end?"

Suddenly, the car tailing us whipped into the oncoming lane, speeding up as it aligned parallel with Charlie's truck.

"Jacob, there's a notepad in the glove compartment," Charlie told me, relatively calm given the situation, and pulled out his cell phone from the holster on his hip. "If he cuts in front of us, get his license plate number. I'm nabbing this SOB right here and now."

Without saying a word, I fumbled with the lever on the glove box and retrieved the pad and an ink pen. I kept them at the ready, watching the black car wildly swerve back and forth in the opposite lane.

Ness' body frantically rocked forward and backward beside me, and I was torn between comforting her and doing what Charlie had asked of me.

"There he goes, Jacob..." Charlie warned me, and then spoke into his phone, "Yeah, this is Chief Charlie Swan from the Forks Police Department. I have a reckless driver here on the 101 headed north, just outside of Aberdeen..."

As the car cut ahead of us and into our lane, I quickly scribbled down the plate number for Charlie and handed him the notepad. Charlie read off the numbers and provided the car's description to whoever was on the other side of the line, finally snapping his cell phone shut.

"The state police are on their way," Charlie assured us, placing a hand on Ness' shoulder. "They'll catch him, Ness, and he won't be a problem for us anymore."

"But what if they don't, Charlie?" Ness looked up at her grandfather with tears in her eyes. My heart actually hurt at the sound of hopelessness in her voice.

"Then I will." Charlie gritted his teeth and firmly gripped the steering wheel with both hands. "If it's the last thing I ever do."

"Shhh." I tried to further calm Ness by placing my arm along her shoulders and pulling her to my chest.

Her arms desperately enfolded around my waist, and she cried into the fabric of my shirt. My hands formed into angry fists, wanting to pummel the driver of the car for being the cause of her tears.

Rubbing my cheek soothingly back and forth along the side of her head, I glanced out the front windshield as we rounded a bend in the highway.

"Well, I'll be damned," Charlie observed, obviously noticing what I had just seen.

The black car had literally disappeared, as if it had evaporated into the thick canopy of woods surrounding us.

* * *

For the next two days, Charlie and I took shifts watching over Ness, concerned that whoever was driving the black car would take any given chance to abduct her and do God only knows what. Ness spent the daylight hours with me in La Push, while Charlie worked tirelessly at the station. He called me every few hours to check on Ness and update me on the progress of trying to find out the driver's identity. Unfortunately, even though we now had the asshole's license plate number, the tags had expired, and the registered owner had been deceased for several years.

However, nothing could defeat Charlie. He tried his damndest to figure out the whole mystery, even painstakingly pouring over Bella and Edward's accident file in secret. Like Ness, we both feared that whoever was stalking us had to be related to the accident in some way. It was just too much of a coincidence to ignore.

Of course, my father, Billy, was oblivious to the whole situation. He didn't even comment on the absence of my Rabbit in the driveway. Seeming pleased to have a woman around the house again, he merrily relished in Ness' presence. Ness, too, seemed more relaxed around my father, but I knew she was just repressing her fear of the days ahead. I could sense her trepidation each time I looked into her soft, brown eyes. We also didn't know what would happen when she headed back to Seattle on Sunday. Each time I thought about her leaving Forks to finish up her college semester, the stressful notion of being away from her would nearly cripple me.

I began to feel at ease when the next two days proved to be uneventful, genuinely looking forward to my father's fish fry that Friday evening. Charlie didn't see any danger in continuing with the cookout, since there would be plenty of witnesses around if the stalker decided to make his move. However, Charlie was on-call at the station, and had phoned to inform me that he would arrive later in the evening.

Little did we know of the storm that was about to hit...

The fish fry festivities started off without a hitch. My sister, Rachel, and her husband, Paul, arrived from Port Angeles shortly after seven, and several employees and friends from the garage, including my boys Quil and Embry, joined the party soon after. Harry Clearwater's widow, Sue, arrived with her daughter Leah, Leah's husband, and several gangly children, who immediately took off running toward my father when they saw him. He sat each one on his lap in turn and gave them salutatory hugs. As the eldest member of our tribe, my father was well respected by everyone.

Sue and I shared a few awkward glances as she and her guests approached the small bonfire in the center of our gathering. Her obvious secret affair with Ness' grandfather hadn't gone unnoticed, and I wondered briefly if their relationship had only recently developed, or if it had been going on for quite some time now. It was hard to believe that she had moved on so quickly; Harry had only passed away several months ago.

"Hi, Jake." The familiar voice startled me as its owner sat down beside me on the wooden bench.

"Hello, Leah," I returned her greeting, worriedly glancing across the circle at Ness, who was busy helping my father prepare the fish to be fried. She looked up at me fleetingly, smiled, and then returned to breading the freshly-caught trout.

"How's life been treating you?" Leah placed a hand on my knee to get my attention.

"Can't complain," I politely replied, cringing at her touch and almost crushing the can of beer in my right hand.

It was difficult enough sitting next to a woman I'd once seen naked around Ness. Not to mention the fact that I'd had a one night stand with Leah several months before she and her husband were married. Angela had just left me for the umpteenth time, and Leah and I had left a local bar together, drunk off our asses. Later that night, I'd fucked her on the hood of my Rabbit. Leah had always had a thing for me, and I'd willingly taken advantage of her in her drunken, vulnerable state. After it was over, I'd instantly regretted ever laying a finger on an engaged woman, flat out telling her that I didn't want to see her again.

I swiftly pushed Leah's wandering hand away and focused my eyes on Ness, watching the way the light from the bonfire made her hair look one in the same. I crooked my lips into a flirty grin and winked at her as she met my eyes once again.

"So you finally ditched Angela, huh?" Leah asked, apparently noticing my exchange with Ness, and repositioned her hand on my leg. "I'm glad. She was just as clingy as that Bella bitch was to her Volvo-driving sex slave."

"Leah, please, not here," I retorted, peering back at her face. She was trying to get under my skin for not returning her affections those many years ago. I'd seen her as an easy lay and nothing more. "Have some respect for the dead."

"Oh, I have zero respect for Bella, dead or alive. She didn't realize a good thing when she had it." Her hand moved gradually up my thigh to the fly of my jeans.

"Leah," I said through clenched teeth. I picked up her hand and placed it on her left knee, patting it firmly. "You're a married woman now. Run along back to Sam and leave me the fuck alone."

"Grrrr." Leah angrily stormed away from me and toward her husband with a shocked expression on her face.

I stood up, shaking off the rather _uncomfortable_ experience, and looked around for Ness, who had suddenly vanished.

"Dad, where's Ness?" I asked my father, panic beginning to overtake me.

"She went inside to fetch some more breading," my father gruffly answered, not taking his eyes off the deep fryer in front of him.

I immediately took off toward the house, running faster with each step. I silently cursed Leah for distracting me from my duty to keep watch over Ness. I'd promised Charlie yesterday that I would protect her, and I'd be damned if I didn't keep that promise.

"Ness?" I called, stepping inside the rear entrance and into the kitchen. I sighed in relief when I saw her leaning against the counter, a sprinkle of flour in her hair. "Hey, you scared me when you left the par..."

The look on her face nearly stopped my heart, and I found myself incapable of finishing my sentence.

"Who was that woman, Jake?" Ness questioned. Her head then fell to her hands, and she began to sob.

"Oh, shit, Ness. I'm sorry you had to see that." I walked up to her, set my beer down on the counter, and pulled her into my arms. "That's Leah, Sue's daughter. She and I..._slept_ together a long time ago."

"What?" Ness raised her head to look me in the eyes. "You never told me about her."

"I didn't think it was that important. I'm sorry," I assured her, kissing away several of her tears. I wanted to claw my heart out from my chest at the thought of causing her distress.

"Sleeping with someone isn't important?" Ness appeared to be offended by my dismissal of Leah. Sheer hurt filled her eyes.

"That's not what I meant, Ness." I wrapped my arms tighter around her. "I just meant sleeping with her meant nothing to me. I was drunk and stupid at the time."

"Are there any other girls at the party you've slept with, Jake?" she asked me crossly. I guess I deserved that one.

Furiously wiping away her tears, Ness forcefully wiggled out of my embrace and pushed me away from her. She turned and grabbed the box of seafood breading from the table.

"I'd like to know now before I season their fish. It would be a shame if they swallowed a piece with too much pepper and choked to death."

"Ness." I grabbed her hands from behind, chuckling at her last statement. In that split second, I realized that my body was now pressed against her back and that she was wearing a sundress. All the blood from my body rushed straight to my dick.

I brushed the soft hair back from her right shoulder and kissed the delicate flesh it revealed. The box of breading soon tumbled to the linoleum floor with a thud.

"The only other woman I've slept with at this party is you," I whispered against her skin. Her body responded to my voice, sending ripples of goose bumps up her neck and down her torso. "And I must add, Miss Renesmee Cullen, you put _all_ of them to shame."

I pressed my raging erection against her bottom, and she let out a whimper as my hands descended the sides of her white dress. My breath quickened as I grazed the area underneath her arms, realizing that she wasn't wearing a bra. Fuck, it had been too long since I'd had her last.

"You see what you do to me?" I asked, swaying back and forth with Ness in my arms, and tried my damndest not to bend her over the table right then and there. I knew that I had to take this slow; she was still hurting, and rightfully pissed at me. I didn't know how I would handle the situation if she rejected me.

"Mmhmm," she purred, raising a hand to my cheek and tracing a line along my stubble with her forefinger. I could see her nipples hardening underneath the fabric of her dress at my touch, and consequently driving me fucking insane.

"You know the biggest difference between you and the other girls I've slept with?" I hummed against her neck and sucked at her pulse point. I let my right fingers climb steadily underneath the hem of her dress.

"What?" Ness panted, barely above a whisper, her chest heaving with her uneven breaths. She arched her back slightly as my hand traveled between her legs.

"Those other girls were just easy fucks," I spoke softly into her ear and scaled down the back of her neck with my tongue. "I _made love_ to you, Ness."

"Is t-that r-r-right?" Ness shivered and inched her legs apart, allowing my hand better access.

_Holy shit_, I swore to myself when I realized she wasn't wearing any panties.

I heard her breath hitch in her throat as I began massaging her clit with my fingers.

"Oh, God, J-Jake..."

She leaned forward against the table, spreading her legs further apart. I ran my fingers down the rim of her lips and slid one of them inside her moist folds, slowly pumping in and out. Hell, she was soaking wet.

"Jake...oh, fuck." Ness clutched the edge of the table with both hands so hard, I could see the whites of her knuckles. "More p-please."

Obligingly, I inserted another finger inside her, twisting and bending them both to heighten her pleasure, all the while rubbing her clit with my thumb.

"You like it, baby?" I groaned against her back, running my free hand up to grab her shoulder for better leverage.

"Yessss," she hissed through her teeth, bucking against my hand. "Jake, please! Please!"

I immediately removed my fingers, knowing exactly what she wanted. I went back to the kitchen door to make sure it was locked before unbuttoning and unzipping my jeans. I rubbed myself atop my cotton briefs at the sight of Ness' body bent over my kitchen table. I was sure this woman was going to be the death of me, but what a way to go.

Walking back over to her, I slithered one hand down the contours of her back while removing my cock from beneath the strain of my underwear with the other. When my hand reached the hem of her dress, I pulled it up to her hips, unveiling her gorgeously-rounded, bare bottom.

"Ness, you _seriously_ need to start wearing panties or I'm going to get a hard-on just looking at you from now on," I warned her, laughing.

"Oh, I could get used to that," she joked, rising up on her tiptoes and reaching between her legs.

"Shit," I grunted as her cold hand clasped onto my dick and pushed the tip against her entrance. I carefully lifted her left leg, hitching it behind my hip, and glided into her, a plethora of obscenities ejecting from my lips as I went. She was so damn wet and tight from behind; I almost spilled my load as I slid all the way into her. "Oh, fuck, Ness. You feel so fucking amazing."

"Make love to me, Jake," Ness commanded, shuddering beneath me, her voice somewhat strained.

I placed my forehead to her shoulder, providing it with a tender kiss.

"Please..." she mewed in response. God, I loved it when she begged.

Moving unhurriedly at first, I gradually built up speed as I began to pull in and out of her. She groaned loudly and met my rhythm, pressing back into me as I fully sheathed myself inside her over and over again.

The feeling of being connected to her on such an intimate level was overwhelming. Ness was so much different than the other women I'd dated in the past; she was smart, funny, breathtakingly beautiful, and most importantly, giving. She'd given me her love, despite my past faults and failures, looking beyond my screw-ups to find the kindred soul that dwelled just underneath my well-armored skin. She didn't know it at the time, but she was irrevocably taming the wild side of Jacob Black, molding me into the man I knew I could become.

Our bodies continued to move together in perfect harmony against the kitchen table. Knowing that I wouldn't last much longer in that position, I grabbed her neck gently and pulled her body flush with mine.

"I love you, Ness, with all my heart." My lips tenderly kissed her shoulder. My teeth soon replaced them as I leaned us both forward and came hard with one final thrust. "Yes, Ness...fuck."

"Oh, God, Jake, that felt so good, I could barely stand it." Ness giggled, throwing her head back, and my forehead fell to her shoulder. "I've never done it that way before."

"We must do it more often then." I smiled against her skin, relishing in the fact that I'd been the first to make love to her in that position. My ego was sent skyrocketing through the roof.

"Definitely," Ness said, and I pulled out of her and lowered her leg to the floor, turning to the sink to clean up.

After washing up and refastening my jeans, I walked back over to Ness, who was now leaning against the table, her sundress neatly adjusted back into place. My lungs found themselves gasping for air at just a glimpse of her gorgeous form. I combed back a few stray curls from her eyes and took her face into my palms, planting one lingering kiss to her beautiful, pink lips.

"Jake?" I heard Embry's voice call from behind the closed kitchen door, coupled with a few pounding knocks. I nearly had a heart attack. "Sorry to interrupt, but Chief Swan's here to see you. You better come outside quick."

"Thanks, Em!" I yelled at him, not taking my eyes off my girlfriend.

"I wonder what he wants," Ness considered, bringing me back down from the high of post-coital bliss. She looked nervous, and instantly began biting her lower lip. "Do you think he found something?"

"Oh, I hope so." My eyebrows lifted, and I leaned in for another kiss. Smiling, I pressed my lips to hers gently and then took her hand in mine. "Come on. Let's see what he wants."

As we exited the house, I was almost blinded by the red and blue flashing lights of Charlie's police cruiser and one other cop car in the gravel driveway. The crowd of our guests had gathered around the side of the house, looking onto the scene with curious speculation. I halted my footsteps immediately, and felt Ness's body collide with mine.

"Charlie, what's going on?" I heard Ness' voice ask from behind me.

Her grandfather spun around at the sound of her question, handcuffs held firmly in his palms.

"_No_!" Ness screamed and clung tightly to my right arm. "Charlie, you can't do this!"

"Jacob," Charlie said solemnly, stepping forward, an apologetic look in his eyes. I felt all sensation in my limbs go numb. "I have a warrant here for your arrest."

All my vision started to go blank, and in that moment, my world went spiraling out of control. They had found James' body.

I contemplated running for my life, but that would only hurt me in the long run. Deciding to offer my surrender, I turned to face the house, my wrists clamped together behind my back at the waist.

"Charlie, please!" Ness' frantic cries sent knives piercing through my still-beating heart as Charlie cuffed my wrists and patted me down.

"I'm sorry, Jacob. I had no other choice," Charlie whispered and then began reading my rights. "Jacob Black, you are under arrest for the murders of Angela Weber and Ben Cheney. You have the right to remain silent..."

Charlie's voice faded into the background as my mind focused on only three words that had sprung forth from his lips:

_Angela._

_Ben._

_Murder._

Someone had set me up.

**Attn: Sooooo, am I totally getting flamed for this chapter? LOL, I hope you'll bear with me. It's all going to come together in the end, I promise. Remember teasers to reviewers! :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Interrogations

_"The trust I have is in mine innocence, and therefore am I bold and resolute."_

_~William Shakespeare, "King Henry VI"_

~.~.~.~

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 11: Interrogations**

Jacob's POV

My right knee bounced nervously under the wooden table before me as I sat in the tiny interrogation room at the Forks Police Department. I leaned forward and pounded my forehead against the surface of the table for the hundredth time, trying to wake myself from my living nightmare. I had been arrested for a double homicide, a heinous crime that I didn't even commit, and I wondered how I was going to get out of this fucking mess.

I pressed my head against the table and thought about Ness, the look of sheer horror on her face as her grandfather arrested me in front of my family and friends. When Charlie had driven off with me as his prisoner, she had chased after us all the way down the drive, until she finally collapsed to the ground with her head in her hands, completely powerless to stop us. I'd wanted to run to her and comfort her, assuring her that everything would be all right and that I would be back in her arms again soon. However, I couldn't guarantee that I would. Some part of me felt sick; I couldn't protect her now, and that asshole had made pretty damn sure of that fact. The permanent nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach told me that I wouldn't be seeing her _or_ my family again for quite some time.

_My family._

My thoughts then shifted to my father Billy, and how disappointed he'd seemed after Charlie had ducked my head into the backseat of the police cruiser. I wasn't particularly worried about his wellbeing; I knew my sister Rachel would take care of him in my absence. However, being a respected elder of the tribe, my father had to have been quite humiliated by the spectacle I'd made of his friendly get-together. I was his only son, the new chief and leader of our people, and even though I was completely innocent of the charges brought against me, I knew I would have to fight hard to regain a reputable standing within the tribe again. I had brought unwarranted shame upon my family and ultimately my people, something I had feared since this whole situation with James began.

Charlie had hardly spoken a word to me since my arrest. His expression was drawn, his lips pursed together into a tight line, as he chauffeured me across the city limits of Forks.

I could only imagine what he thought of me now. Did he believe I was capable of such a horrific crime? I was quite certain that he did, judging from what I had confessed to him several nights ago. Charlie would probably never trust me alone with his granddaughter again.

Upon reaching the police station, Charlie led me straight into an interrogation room to await the case investigator and my attorney, who Sue had immediately arranged for me.

Her son, Seth Clearwater, had left the rez fresh out of high school and had studied to be a criminal lawyer in Seattle, where he currently worked as a partner in a prominent law firm. He also served as the tribe's official attorney and handled any legal matters that would arise, such as land disputes or environmental concerns. Because he was only two years younger than me, Seth and I had practically grown up together. He was a confidant and a friend. Someone who I could trust. I just hoped he would be able to defend my sorry ass against these charges, and help uncover the truth behind whoever had set me up.

"Jake, I got here as fast as I could." Seth's voice made me raise my head from the table. He was wearing a neatly-pressed suit with a light blue shirt underneath and coordinating tie. The kid cleaned up pretty nicely. "Shit, you look terrible!"

"Thanks, Seth. You made me feel so much better," I scoffed, sitting up in my seat, and wrung my hands together.

"I'm sorry, Jake." He closed the door behind him and sat down in the wooden chair perpendicular to mine. Placing his leather briefcase on the table, he flipped it open and took out a notepad and a silver ballpoint pen. "The charges against you are pretty serious, bro-double homicide. One of the vics is your ex-girlfriend, right? I thought I recognized her name."

"Angela..." The name rolled languidly off my lips as I stared vacantly at the pen in his right hand.

I had only seen Angela a little over three nights ago when she'd come to badger me about my relationship with Ness. She was still as beautiful as the first night I'd slept with her in the backseat of my Rabbit while we were still in high school. I'd had to fight myself not to take her right there in my father's kitchen, exacting my revenge on Ness for not telling me the truth about her boyfriend, Nahuel.

A feral growl erupted from deep within my chest at the thought of dragging Angela into this whole situation with James. Whoever was watching my every move had obviously seen her at my house that night and overheard that we were former lovers. When they couldn't nail me for James' murder, they'd punished _her_ and her new boyfriend, Ben Cheney, instead, pinning the murder on me. How could I have done this to her and Ben? Could my life have become any more fucked up?

"Jake," Seth said in a low voice, placing a hand on the table in front of me. "Please tell me you didn't do this, and I will help you in any way I can."

"I didn't, Seth," I told him honestly, looking up at his brown eyes. "Someone else did, and is trying to pin it on _me_."

"All right." Seth paused, clicked his pen, and began scribbling notes on his yellow pad. I could sense the wariness in his tone. I wondered if he truly believed me, or if he was just being a good lawyer and listening to his client. "Who would want to frame you for murder, Jake? Any enemies? A disgruntled member of the tribe maybe?"

"I-I..." I stuttered, thinking back to that rainy night outside the ice cream shop, and silently cursed myself for acting so impulsively. "I don't know."

I slumped back in my chair and placed my hands behind my head, gritting my teeth together, not sure if I wanted to tell him the whole truth.

"I'm your lawyer, Jake. You can level with me." Seth stopped writing on his pad and glanced across the table at me.

The throbbing tension in my neck and shoulders grew with every passing second.

Could I tell Seth the truth about that night? Would he believe me? Would it help or hinder my case? Would I still go to jail? More importantly, would I incriminate Ness by telling him that she'd helped me dispose of James' body?

"Oh, God, Ness," I spoke aloud, leaning forward and grasping the locks of my hair tightly between my unyielding fingers.

The image of her beautiful face remained forefront in my mind. How could I let her go to jail for something I did? Hadn't I vowed to protect her until the very end, no matter what the cost?

"Ness? Who's Ness, Jake?" Seth's questioning voice brought me back into the present.

"Charlie Swan's granddaughter," I blurted out, wiping the tension out from under my eyes. "Bella's daughter...she and I have been seeing each other for about a week."

"Okay...so you think _she's_ the one who's behind this?" he assumed, absently clicking the pen several times.

"_Fuck no!_" I stood up angrily, towering over my old friend. The force from my abrupt movement sent the chair tumbling backward to the tiled floor. I could see my hands start to blur with my sudden rage. "She had _nothing_ to do with this! Don't you dare drag her into it!"

"Okay, Jake! Sheesh!" Seth loosened his striped tie and motioned with his palms for me to sit back down. "I was only suggesting that she might be the jealous type. That's all."

"Fuck, I'm sorry, Seth," I said more calmly, picking the chair off the floor and retaining my seat. I took a few deep breaths before continuing. "Ness is _not_the jealous type. Far from it. She's the most caring and understanding woman I've ever met."

Seth opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly the door opened, diverting our attention. Charlie walked into the room with a man about my age and height, with a thin layer of brown hair toward the front of his head. He wore a white dress shirt and gray trousers with a polished detective's badge clipped onto his hip. He looked vaguely familiar, but my mind couldn't place him.

"Jacob, this is Detective Tyler Crowley. I'm sure you remember him," Charlie introduced his companion with a sigh, patting him on the shoulder. Now, I remembered him; Tyler was one of Bella's high school classmates, which meant he probably knew Angela and Ben.

"Sure, sure." I stood up apprehensively to shake Tyler's hand.

"Nice seeing you again, Jacob," Tyler greeted me with a firm grip. "I just wish it were under better circumstances."

I nodded and took my seat as Tyler sat down across from me, positioning the manila folders in his left hand on the table in front of us. He then pulled out a tape recorder from his shirt pocket and set it down beside the folders.

"I'm just going to ask you a few questions regarding the murders of Angela Weber and Ben Cheney. It's important that you answer all of these questions truthfully and honestly." Tyler coughed loudly, and I could tell that he was battling the symptoms of a head cold. He reached over to the tape recorder and pressed the red button. "Okay, Jacob, where were you at approximately seven pm on Thursday, March eleventh?"

"Last night?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest. So whoever murdered Ben and Angela committed the crime almost twenty-four hours ago...

I drew in a sharp breath and exhaled. "I was at home with my father. We ate popcorn...had a few beers...watched a Mariners game."

"You didn't leave the house at all last night?" Tyler questioned in an incredulous voice. If he was trying to intimidate me, he had another thing coming.

"No, I dropped Charlie's granddaughter off at his house on my bike, and came back home about six pm. I didn't leave my father's side once I got home," I said firmly, giving him a pointed look.

"Is this true, Chief Swan?" Tyler turned his attention to Charlie.

I peered over at Ness' grandfather, who now stood beside the door with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was thoughtful, his eyes focused on the opposite wall.

"Yes, Jacob dropped Ness off just like he said," Charlie finally answered after some hesitation, but it was the God-honest truth. "I've already given you my statement, Tyler."

For a brief moment, I wondered if Charlie was worried about the security of his job. Maybe he worried that I would tell Tyler everything about what had happened over the past few days, and his job would be in jeopardy for helping me destroy the evidence of James' murder.

"Indeed you have. Thank you, Chief Swan. Just wanted clarification," Tyler replied, turning to face me once again. "We will obtain a statement from your father later regarding your alibi _and_ from Nessie Cullen, of course."

I closed my eyes and sighed when Tyler mentioned Ness' sweet name. I knew she would back up what I'd said; I just hated having to put her through any of this shit to save my ass. I frowned at the thought.

Tyler then sifted through the small stack of folders in front of him and pulled out a black and white photograph, pivoting it toward me.

"Do you recognize this, Jacob?"

I stared down in amazement at the picture before me, my eyes wide with disbelief.

A Sako A7 ST hunting rifle came into view, making me loudly gulp. It was the very rifle my father had given me two years ago for my thirty-sixth birthday. So that's how the asshole had managed to frame me! He had broken into my house and stolen my gun right under my fucking nose! I instantaneously began to burn with rage.

"Don't answer that, Jacob," Seth interjected, not taking his eyes off the detective seated beside him.

"Well, just to inform you and your attorney," Tyler slyly began, smacking his lips together. He then pressed his index finger to the center of the picture and tapped it a few times. "We ran the serial number on this rifle, and it's licensed to _you_, Jacob. Care to explain how _your_ rifle ended up at the crime scene?"

"Look, I already told you where I was," I crossly spat out, leaning across the table and holding up my hands, utterly exasperated. "I don't know how in the world my rifle ended up there. It must've been stolen."

"Detective Crowley, if my client did in fact commit said murders, why would he leave the murder weapon behind?" Seth rationally pointed out, shaking his head. "If he didn't want to be caught, why would he be so careless?"

"I'm just going on the evidence I have, Mr. Clearwater, and the evidence right now points directly to your client," Tyler countered with a fiery intensity to his tone. "I'm well aware of the _nature_ of your relationship to Miss Weber, Jacob. Looks like your jealousy over her new lover got the best of you, eh?"

"Completely outta line!" Seth stood up from his chair, gritting his teeth together. "Regardless of his relationship to one of the victims, my client did_not_ commit these murders! He has a perfect alibi!"

I sat back down and furiously knotted my hands together, my anger beginning to conquer over me. Of course I'd been a little jealous when Angela moved in with Ben, but we'd broken things off a month or so beforehand. I'd been seeing her since I was in high school; my feelings for her didn't just disappear overnight. Still, my conflicted feelings for her wouldn't have fueled my motivation to murder them in cold blood.

"Why don't we let Jacob speak for himself, Mr. Clearwater?" Tyler coolly suggested, watching me with careful eyes, just waiting for me to break under the pressure. However, he wasn't about to get a confession out of me. I wasn't about to confess to a crime I didn't commit.

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, gulping down any lingering anger at his last accusation.

"Angela and I broke up two months or so ago. Neither one of us was committed to the relationship in the first place," I began, trying to keep my annoyance at bay. "I was happy when she found Ben. I thought maybe she'd finally moved on and was able to let me go."

"So she was the clingy type?" Tyler asked smugly. I could tell he had already determined that I was the one who had executed these crimes. He kept twisting my words around just to taunt me. "A little _too_ clingy, I suppose."

"I'm about tired of your badass-cop routine!" I vehemently bellowed, rising up from my seat. My hands gripped the edge of the table until the veins began to bulge from beneath my skin. "I _did not_ kill Angela or Ben!"

"Jacob, calm down." Charlie flew to my side and placed a guarded hand on my shoulder. "You're not helping yourself here."

"It seems your client has one hell of a temper, Mr. Clearwater." The asshole of a detective had the fucking _nerve_ to mock me in my presence.

And with that statement, I'd had it with Tyler's self-righteous attitude.

In that split second, I lunged across the table at him, grabbing him by the head, and slammed his forehead into the hard surface of the table. His torso immediately slumped against the table; Detective Tyler was rendered completely unconscious.

"Jacob, why did you do that, son?" Charlie forcefully grasped onto my wrists, and I quickly snapped back into reality, surrendering and allowing him to restrain me once more. He fastened the handcuffs around my wrists from behind, and then led me out of the small room. "I have no choice now but to detain you for assaulting an officer."

"Sorry, Charlie. Shit," I said, peering over at Seth, who was now following us down the hallway to the jail with a look of disbelief. Holding my head down, I instantly regretted acting on impulse, but that jackass had it coming.

"Jake, I'll do what I can to get you outta here, but you must keep your temper under control," Seth whispered irately as Charlie unlocked and led me into a single cell. "You need to cooperate, or you're just going to hinder your case further."

"I know, Seth," I replied, sighing. "Thank you for coming."

Seth nodded once in response as Charlie pulled back the cell door and locked it into place. I turned around and slipped my hands through the small opening in the steel bars so Charlie could unfasten the handcuffs.

"Seth, may I have a word with you in my office?" Charlie turned to Seth after retrieving his handcuffs, shooting me a deliberate glance. Without speaking a word, I knew exactly what he wanted to discuss with my old friend.

"Charlie, where's Ness right now?" I asked desperately as he began to walk away from my cell, needing to know that she was safe.

Charlie sighed, turning toward me, and fastened the handcuffs back on his hip.

"She's waiting up front in the lobby to give her statement," Charlie replied, deflecting his gaze. I could sense the disappointment in his voice, but I was relieved to hear that Ness was out of harm's way. "Keep yourself out of trouble, Jacob."

After Charlie and Seth left, I leaned my forehead against the bars, cursing myself for letting my temper get the best of me. I was even more pissed at that asshole Tyler for insinuating that I would want to murder the woman I'd once loved and her live-in boyfriend out of nothing but sheer jealousy. I had no qualms against their relationship. Besides, I'd found Ness, and she'd turned my world completely upside down. I had wanted to be a better man for her, but now look at me. I had reverted back to the man I once was before she came into my life.

I pressed my back against the cell bars and slid down to the concrete floor, pulling my knees into my chest.

The image of Ness' soft brown eyes flickered once more in my brain. She was only a heartbeat away from me at that moment, and that notion gave me some peace amidst the storm still raging inside my head.

The vindictive stalker turned murderer was still out there, and I was now helpless to stop him.

* * *

**Renesmee's POV**

The steaming cup of coffee burned against the skin of my right hand, but I pretended not to notice. I had been sitting in the lobby of the Forks Police Department for over two hours, waiting for Charlie and his detective to take my statement regarding Jacob's whereabouts last night.

Tears started to rim my eyes at the thought of him being arrested for the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Just the very notion of Jacob behind bars made my heart throb in excruciating agony.

I set the paper cup down on the small table beside my chair and buried my head in my hands.

The reason Angela and her boyfriend were dead was because of me. James had only wanted _me_ in the first place. If Jacob hadn't saved me that night and James had lived, none of this would have ever happened. Jacob wouldn't have been accused of a crime he didn't commit, and two innocent people would still be alive. Some part of me wished that James had just had his way with me and left me to die by the side of the road. That's what I deserved; I had completely ruined my life and the lives of those around me.

"Ness?" Charlie beckoned to me as I wallowed in self-pity. "We're ready for you now, sweetheart."

I dropped my hands and stood up, feeling my legs go weak beneath me. As I followed Charlie into the small office, I could feel the surmounting nervousness well up inside my being.

I knew that Jacob was completely innocent of killing Angela and Ben, but I didn't know if they'd already questioned him or not. Even more nerve-wracking was that I didn't know if he'd confessed to James' murder; maybe Jacob had already told them about what had happened outside the ice cream shop in order to fully explain this sudden turn of events. With Jacob's confession, Charlie would have been in danger of losing his job and serving jail time as well for helping us destroy evidence of James' murder.

The nervous knot violently rolled over in my stomach, and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Good evening, Nessie," Detective Tyler Crowley greeted me with a kind smile as I sat down in the chair opposite him. "We just need a few minutes of your time."

I half-smiled in response, noticing the small bag of ice, which was now pressed firmly to his forehead. He dropped his hand unexpectedly to shuffle through several papers on his desk, allowing me a better view of his forehead. A circular, purplish bruise adorned the area just above his left eye, and I wondered if he'd accidentally hit his head on something earlier that evening.

"Now, Nessie, can you tell me where Jacob Black was last night around seven pm?" Detective Crowley questioningly spoke, bringing the bag of ice promptly back to his injured forehead.

I anxiously played with the frills along the hem of my sundress, noticing the crimson, jagged scrapes on both of my knees. After Charlie had arrested Jacob earlier that night, I'd chased after the police cruiser, begging Charlie to take me with them. Realizing I could do nothing to stop them, I'd fallen to the gravel driveway below and skinned my knees in the process.

I felt a tear roll languidly down my cheek at the memory, but I swiftly wiped it away.

"Ness?" Charlie's voice broke the silence hovering over the room, making me look up at the middle-aged detective in front of me.

"He took me home-to Charlie's house-around six o'clock. We rode on his bike. He told me he was going back to his father's house in La Push after that," I truthfully told the detective I'd known most of my life, frowning down at my hands, which were now wound together in my lap.

"And then Mr. Black came to pick you back up in the morning. Am I correct?" He continued his interrogation, jotting down notes on a pad of yellow paper.

"Yes," I simply answered.

"And you stayed with him on the reservation all day today?" Detective Crowley watched me with calculating eyes as he fingered the pen in his right palm.

"Yes. His father Billy was there, too. He can vouch for Jacob." The two syllables of his name stung as they rolled off my tongue. I then began to wonder where they were holding him. Maybe he was in the room next to Detective Crowley's office, just beyond the surrounding four walls. Somehow, I could almost feel the soothing warmth of his skin against mine.

"And what's the nature of your relationship with Mr. Black exactly?" the detective asked pompously, and snorted as if he already knew my answer.

"We're friends," I said cautiously, narrowing my eyes at him.

"Just friends?" He skeptically eyed my grandfather, who was now standing behind me.

"Tyler, that has nothing to do with her statement," Charlie exasperatedly interposed, and placed a hand on my right shoulder.

"I need to establish her relationship to Mr. Black before I can file her statement," Detective Crowley argued, deflecting his attention back to me. "Are the two of you..._lovers_?"

I clenched my teeth together, feeling the heat in my cheeks as images of Jacob's naked body pressed against mine began to soar through my brain.

Charlie tightened his hold on my shoulder to give me strength. I couldn't very well lie to the police; I needed to cooperate if I wanted Jacob to be cleared of all charges against him.

"Yes," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. I held my head down, not wanting to meet Charlie's eyes. I could only imagine what opinion he had of me now.

"Did you know of Mr. Black's former relationship with Angela Weber?" the detective inquired, making my head shoot up. He held up a glossy photo of a woman, possibly in her late thirties, with long, silky brown hair and gentle eyes. Jacob had never shown me a picture of Angela before, but I could now see what he once saw in her. She was exceptionally beautiful.

"I do," I said, glancing back down at my hands. "They had an _intimate_relationship for almost twenty years."

"Don't you find that a little _odd_, Nessie?" he retorted in derisive manner.

"Tyler, my granddaughter is _not_ on trial here!" Charlie heatedly interjected. "She's given you her statement. She's had a lot to deal with tonight, and I would like to get her home as soon as possible."

"Sure, Charlie." Detective Crowley forced a smile in my direction, lowering the bag of ice from his forehead. "Thank you for your time, Nessie. I'll have this ready for you to sign in a bit."

I silently thanked Charlie for coming to my defense, sighing in relief that Jacob hadn't told the whole truth to the police.

As Charlie escorted me out of the office, I sorrowfully peered down the hallway toward the holding cells. My heart longed to see Jacob again, even if it were just a fleeting glimpse. I needed to tell him that I was sorry for all the hell I'd put him through the past few days; that I was sorry for doubting his love for me. He had been through so much since we'd met, and I wondered if he now regretted that chance meeting at the diner last Saturday night.

"Sorry, Ness. Tyler can be a real pain in the ass," I heard Charlie apologize, but I didn't respond. Instead, my eyes began to saturate with apologetic tears. I felt his warm hand press against my shoulder once again. "Ness, I'm going to have Deputy Mac see you home tonight. He's going to stay at the house for the rest of the night until I can get here. Jasper and Alice have agreed to come down from Seattle and stay with you tomorrow."

Charlie then tugged hard on my shoulder, pulling me down the hall to his office. I quickly sobered, my heart racing within my chest at my grandfather's sudden action. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it, making sure the blinds were blocking the view from the outside.

"Charlie, what's going on?" I began to panic as my grandfather then walked behind his wooden desk.

"Ness," he said in a low voice, leaning forward, and gripped the back of his leather desk chair. He let out a strong puff of air and continued, "I told Jacob's lawyer everything. I told him about James, about the black car, about us destroying Jacob's Rabbit..."

"Oh, God." I steadied myself on the chair beside me, the stress of the whole situation resting heavily on my shoulders.

"He's agreed to help me hire a private investigator to hunt down this anonymous stalker and try to uncover the truth behind your parents' accident," Charlie confessed in one breath. "In the meantime, I'm going to do everything I can to help exonerate Jacob. I know he didn't murder Angela and Ben, Ness. That SOB in the black car followed us to Longview and saw us destroy Jacob's car. He then murdered Angela and her boyfriend and planted Jacob's rifle at the scene to frame him. That's the only reasonable explanation for all of this. He wanted Jacob out of the picture so he could get to you."

I stood there and let Charlie's words sink in. I finally had to force myself to take a seat in the chair just in case my shaky legs decided to buckle from underneath me.

"I'm risking my job doing this, Ness, but I'd give anything to find out what really happened that night your parents died," Charlie added.

"Me, too," I said after several lingering minutes, peering up at my grandfather's forlorn expression. "What can I do to help?"

"Ness, I need you to stay out of this," Charlie answered solemnly, sincerity in his eyes.

"But, Charlie, Jake needs me-" I protested, but Charlie held up his right palm to silence me.

"I know you want to help Jacob right now, but I need you to stay out of it, Ness," he opposed, walking toward my chair and kneeling before me. "Let Jacob's lawyer and me handle this from now on. I don't want to risk your safety any more than I have to."

"So I'm just supposed to go back to Seattle and act like none of this ever happened while you two figure it all out without me," I said irately, fighting back the tears that were now threatening to overrun my brown eyes once again. "I don't understand. Didn't you and Jacob decide that the stalker was out to get _me_?"

"Yes, but Ness, you have to trust me." Charlie took both of my hands and encased them with his own. He peered up at me with pleading eyes. "Please trust me. I'm asking you to do this not only for Jacob and me, but for Angela and Ben's families as well. They are the ones who have suffered the most from this."

Angela's beautiful face flashed hauntingly in my mind, and I knew then that my grandfather was right. I knew that Angela and Ben's true killer needed to be brought to justice, and that it would only hinder the investigation if I were involved. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was some unspoken secret Charlie wasn't sharing with me.

"Okay, Charlie," I agreed to his stipulations, giving him a weak smile.

"That's my girl." He let go of my hands and patted my knees softly in reassurance.

Charlie then helped me to a standing position and led me back into the hallway. As we reached the lobby, my grandfather left me briefly to find his deputy so he could escort me home.

"Ness?" The familiar exotic voice made me spin around from the front desk.

"Nahuel?" I asked in disbelief as my estranged boyfriend exited one of the lobby's chairs and threw his arms around me. I was completely stunned, but the congenial warmth of his arms felt wonderful. I instantly melted into his embrace. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard your friend Jacob got arrested on the news and got here as quickly as I could." Nahuel pulled back, cupping my face in his palms. "I came in case you needed me..._and_ to tell you that I'm sorry."

"Nahuel, I-I don't-" I immediately burst into tears, utterly overwhelmed by everything I had experienced over the past week; how drastically my life had changed in only a few short days.

"Shhh, Ness. It's gonna be okay," Nahuel whispered, hugging me close to his chest. He brushed back the hair from my right shoulder and soothingly kissed the area just above my ear. "I'm here now."

As Nahuel held me there, I realized that my entire world had crumbled and the rubble was now scattered at my feet.

And the only person who could help me fasten the pieces together again was not the man now holding me in his arms. It was the man who had risked everything to love me; the same man who sat all alone in a jail cell just down the hall.

**Attn: Thanks so much for reading! Jacob let his temper get the best of him, huh? What do you think of Nahuel coming back? Please take a few minutes and let me know what you thought!**


	12. Chapter 12: Mea Culpa

_"A guilty conscience is the mother of invention."_

_~Carolyn Wells_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 12: Mea Culpa (I'm Guilty)**

**Jacob's POV**

"One, two, three, four..." I counted the number of times I pushed off the hard, concrete floor of the tiny cell, feeling the burn as it steadily grew in the muscles of my upper arms.

Mindless exercise had recently become my best friend. It was all I could do to pass the time anymore, since I'd been locked up for a crime I didn't commit.

It had been two days since Charlie had arrested me for the murders of Angela and Ben, and there had been little progress in clearing my name of the charges. Detective Tyler Crowley was bound and determined as ever to prove I'd been the one to shoot my former girlfriend and her new lover. When I'd lost my temper in the interrogation room the night I was arrested, that incident had pretty much sealed the deal in the young detective's mind. Not to mention the fact that my hunting rifle had been found at the crime scene. I'd tried my damndest to make him see that I was, in fact, innocent of the murders, but no one would listen to a man behind steel bars. It seemed I was guilty until proven innocent in everyone else's eyes.

"Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty." I finished my set of pushups, and returned to a standing position, shaking out my arms and stretching them behind my back.

Taking a few steps toward the toilet in the corner of my cell, I unzipped my jeans and relieved myself. The initial embarrassment of using the bathroom in public had all but dissipated since I'd been confined to my new home.

I sighed and leaned forward, resting my head on my forearm against the cold, stone wall.

It had to have been close to midnight by now, and I began to wonder if Charlie was going to pay me a visit before the end of his shift. He'd taken it upon himself to visit me once daily to update me on the progress of my case. The fact that he had yet to make an appearance tonight began to take its toll on my conscience, and I ultimately feared the worst. Whoever was out there attempting to seek revenge for James' murder could have exacted his vengeance on Ness' grandfather. I gritted my teeth and balled my hand into a fist at the thought. I hated myself for ever involving him in the first place.

Having finished my business, I pushed myself off the wall and refastened my jeans. I turned and crawled onto the tiny bed, rolling over onto my back. I stared up at the ceiling and thought about Ness; her beautiful brown eyes dancing with her laughter, her silky copper hair tossed by the morning breeze. It was amazing how much power she held over me. We'd only known each other for a week, but I'd fallen madly and hopelessly in love with her.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out all the danger and tragedy I'd experienced over the past few days, and focused on her delicate face. I instantly felt every tense muscle in my body relax as her image vividly came into view within the recesses of my mind. Since we'd met, I'd made it my duty to memorize every curve, every contour of her gorgeous form. It was as if she was there with me; I could almost reach out and touch her.

"Jake..." a still, small voice whispered, as I imagined the sound of Ness calling out my name.

Startled, I opened my eyes, only to see her, standing in the front corner of my cell. She was breathtaking in the miniscule light filtering into the room from the small skylight above. I forced myself to blink, making sure she wasn't just a figment of my imagination.

"Ness," I beckoned to her, propping myself up on my elbows to gain a better view.

"Shhh, I'm here," she said in a seductive tone, slowly sauntering toward my position on the bed.

As she neared the bed, I noticed she was wearing the yellow, sleeveless shirt and blue skirt she'd worn the night we'd first made love. Her thin, yet toned, legs stretched out for miles beneath her skirt, making me yearn to run my hands along their length. My manhood responded by hardening beneath the denim constraint of my pants.

"Baby, I've missed you," I breathlessly spoke as she took a seat beside me on the bed.

"Shhh." Ness placed a hand on my chest and leaned forward, ghosting her lips along my jaw line and down my neck. My dick went rock hard at her touch.

She shifted her body, placing a bent knee on either side of my waist, and inched up her skirt with her fingertips. I could feel the heat radiating from between her legs, as it came to rest against my aching groin. I didn't know how many times I'd pictured her in that same position over the past two days. Not to mention the countless times I'd rolled over in my bed and whacked off, imagining her luscious mouth wrapped around me.

"Fuck," I murmured when she began to grind herself against me, mindlessly grabbing onto her hips to increase the friction on my cock. "Ness, you don't know how much I've wanted you."

"I've wanted you, too, Jake." She threw her head back, arching her back slightly. The motion accentuated her breasts even further beneath the sheer fabric of her tank top. "_So _much."

I reached up and cupped my right hand around one of her breasts, longing to lap my tongue around her nipple. Moving both hands up to her shoulders, I hooked my forefingers under the straps of her yellow shirt and slowly peeled it down her torso to her waist. I was rewarded with a view of her perfectly-rounded, bare breasts. I marveled at their magnificence as they bounced above my lips with the movement of her thrusts against me.

Pulling myself into a seated position, I pressed her hips further into mine, and she fastened her legs around my waist. My mouth went straight to her erect nipples, suckling and nibbling on them as if they were the sustenance to my very existence. Fuck, she tasted so goddamn good, like sweet honeysuckle.

"Fuck me, Jake," Ness whispered in between ragged breaths, riding me harder, if that were even possible. "Make me yours...forever."

I almost came at the sound of her lust-filled words. She'd always told me to make love to her before, never to _fuck _her. I gulped and tried to quell the urge to finish before I could bury myself deep inside her. I couldn't allow myself the pleasure of release before I could offer her the same.

"How do you want me to fuck you, Ness?" I heard my thoughts audibly escape my mind. I couldn't believe what I was saying.

"I don't care, just fuck me!" she screamed, plastering her lips against mine and darting her tongue forcefully into my mouth. She pulled away before I'd had my fill of her lips, and reached down to unbutton my jeans. "Oh, God, Jake, please fuck me!"

Though her words thrilled me, something sounded a bit off as they crossed her lips. Her voice didn't even sound like hers; it resembled that of someone I once knew.

"Ness," I said, grabbing onto her wrists to stop her frantic movements. I peered deeply into her ravenous, brown eyes. "Ness, is that you?"

"Of course it's me, Jake," she answered in wavering voice, hurt permeating her tone. She angled her head downward, but it appeared to be slightly out of focus. "Don't you want me?"

"I do want you, Ness," I tried to convince her, raising a hand to cup her cheek. "Please don't cry, baby."

Tears started to stream down her cheeks, but instead of clear liquid, a thick, crimson fluid began to roll off her chin and onto her naked chest. I glanced up at her face in horror, as it flickeringly shifted into the spitting image of Angela.

"How could you do this to me, Jake?" Angela's unmistakable voice shrieked at me, pools of blood now seeping from every orifice of her face. "How could you let someone murder me? I thought you loved me!"

"Angela?" I instantly recoiled from underneath her, springing off the bed and plastering my body against one of the cell's walls.

"How could you!" Angela's blood-soaked body cried out, her arms outstretched to me. Her eyes and mouth stood agape, as she began to crawl languidly across the bed toward me. "After all we shared!"

"It wasn't my fault." I shut my eyelids tightly, forcing the image straight out of a horror movie to dispel itself from my mind.

"I loved you, Jake...more than Ben...more than any other man..."

The sound of her wet footsteps soon entered my brain, inching closer to me with every heartbeat, and I felt myself struggling to breathe. I thought for a split-second that I might pass out in sheer terror.

"You were always the best," she hissed against my mouth, the sensation of her body standing only millimeters away from mine. "The best fucking lay I'd ever had."

I felt her bloody hand coil around my neck, cinching tighter with every passing second. I gasped for air, willingly it into my lungs, but the fight was useless; she had already won.

"Wake up, Jacob," the sound of a distant voice echoed in my ear. "I've got some good news."

My eyes immediately flew open, and I realized that I was still lying in my bed. I jerked upward and planted my feet on the concrete floor, my eyes darting in all directions to determine if it had all been just a bad dream.

Sighing in relief, I ran my hands through my black hair and wiped the sleep out from under my tired eyes. I wondered when, if ever, I would have a peaceful night's sleep again, without my guilty conscience sneaking its way in.

"Jacob, did you hear me?" the distant voice resumed. "Are you okay, son?"

I lifted my head, only to see Charlie Swan standing on the opposite side of the cell, his expression somewhat hopeful.

"Yeah, sorry, Charlie. Just a bad dream." I shook my head and stood up to meet him.

"Well, you're free to go," Charlie said, unlocking the cell and rolling back the door before me.

"What?" I asked, completely shocked. I half-expected him to slam the door right back in my face.

"Your alibi checked out," he revealed, a slight smirk across his lips. "Several witnesses came forward, stating they saw you heading back on the 101 toward La Push, prior to the time the coroner pinpointed the murders."

"Witnesses? And that was enough to clear me of all charges?" I retorted, unconvinced.

"Well," Charlie cleared his throat before continuing, "they also ran the fingerprints on your rifle. Yours were there, of course, but another set of prints were there as well. We found the same prints on the rifle case under your bed. We're currently checking them in the criminal databases."

"So they know it was stolen, then?" I questioned, rubbing the back of my neck to ease the tension.

"Yes, Jacob, they know now," he said, lowering his voice. "I'm just relieved we've finally got that son of a bitch's fingerprints. Maybe this is the key to finding out who's behind all of this."

I sighed, closing my eyes, and gripped the bars beside me for support. Charlie was definitely right; maybe we would finally learn the stalker's identity, and he could be brought to justice for murdering Angela and Ben.

"The tire tracks found at the crime scene also didn't match your bike; it was definitely a car," Charlie added after a few moments of silence.

"Black car?" I knowingly proposed, keeping my voice low, and pushed off the bars. "A 1970 Chevelle, perhaps?"

"We haven't been able to trace them back to any specific vehicle yet, but yes, I'd be willing to bet my life on it. Anyway, Seth lobbied for your release, and I granted it," Charlie said. "It's all taken care of. You may leave when you wish."

"Thank you, Charlie." I showed my gratitude to Ness' grandfather, extending an appreciative hand to him. He shook it vigorously, and pulled me in for a hug.

A flash of a distant memory shot through my mind as Charlie held me there; a vision of that night four years ago, when Bella and Edward had been killed in that horrible accident. I remembered that it had been raining that evening when I'd ridden into Forks to offer my condolences to Charlie. After I'd knocked several times on his front door, Charlie had answered, immediately collapsing against me in anguish. I couldn't recall how long I'd stood there in the doorway, holding Charlie as he cried out his heartache. However, there was one image I'd never forget about that night...the soft silhouette of a young teenage girl, standing near the top of the stairs...

"It was the least I could do." Charlie let me go, looking me in the eyes. For a brief moment, I wondered if he'd remembered that night as well.

"How's my father doing?" I asked, changing the subject, and returned to the bed to put on my boots.

"He's doing well," Charlie replied, putting his hands on his hips. "Your sister, Rachel, took him to live with her in Port Angeles until you were released."

"Is he...?" My question trailed off, and I returned to lacing up my boots, happy to know that my father was now in my sister's care.

"Billy's not upset with you, Jacob, if that's what you're asking," he answered. "He knows you're innocent. You're his son, Jacob, and he loves you very much."

"And Ness?" I fought back tears of joy as they threatened to betray my tough exterior. I placed both feet on the ground and stood back up, ignoring the emotions that were now coursing through me.

"She's back in Seattle," Charlie confessed, looking down at the floor. "Her Uncle Jasper's been watching over her. He's an ex-military man; a former major in the Army. He'll make sure no one gets within a hundred yards of Ness."

"That's a relief," I said, my mind recalling that Jasper Whitlock had graduated a year before Bella and Edward. He had married Edward's younger sister, Alice, before enlisting in the Army. It eased my worried mind to know that someone was looking after Ness in my absence.

"Jacob." Charlie then looked up at me, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. "Please...if you love my granddaughter and value your freedom, keep your distance from her right now and let Seth and me handle this. That's all I'm asking."

I nodded half-heartedly as Charlie handed me the plastic bag containing my personal effects. He then left my cell, and began slowly making his way back to his office. With a sigh, I glanced back at the cell behind me.

I needed to see her. I needed just one fleeting glimpse to make sure she was safe. It was one promise to Charlie I knew I had to break.

* * *

**Renesmee's POV**

The next few days without Jacob were intolerable, to say the least. My Aunt Alice and her husband Jasper had come to stay with me in Forks throughout the rest of the weekend, and had agreed to accompany me on my trip back to Seattle. Even though I knew Charlie and Jacob's lawyer, Seth Clearwater, had hired a private investigator to handle the case, I remained on edge. My stalker was still out there, and nothing could bring my anxious mind to rest.

"Nessie, what's wrong, honey?" My Aunt Alice placed a soothing hand on mine from the front seat of Jasper's Mercedes as we pulled into the University of Seattle's main entrance that Sunday afternoon.

I missed Jacob. I also feared for my life, but I couldn't have very well told her that.

"Nothing," I said, settling for a safer option. I watched as she and my uncle shared a knowing look from the front seat.

"You have nothing to worry about, Nessie. I've secured the dorm room next to yours for the remainder of the semester," my Uncle Jasper began, glancing at me in the rear view mirror. "We'll be there to protect you if someone tries anything."

Sighing, I pressed my body back against the leather seat, and stared out the window at the academic buildings as they rolled by.

In the Army, my uncle, Jasper Whitlock, had fought in the Gulf War fresh out of high school back in the early nineties, climbing to the rank of major in only a few short years. Charlie had only seen it fitting to have him watch over me when I went back to school, trying to make my life as normal as possible after all that had transpired over the past week. My grandfather had fabricated the pretense that someone had been stalking me on campus, and had even followed me to Forks over Spring Break. Even though the campus police had been involved from the start, Charlie told my uncle he would feel more at ease having someone we trusted nearby to protect me.

It wasn't entirely dishonest. Sometimes, I wished for my real stalker to come and steal me away. Whatever he did to me would never compare to the hell I endured without Jacob in my life.

"We're here, Nessie." Uncle Jasper's southern accent caused my head to shoot up from the headrest.

I sighed and absently exited my uncle's car, glancing up at my dormitory as it came into view. McMahon Hall looked as it normally did-tall, gray, and looming, almost resembling an old, oceanfront hotel. I silently wished I could be anywhere but here.

"Ness!" I heard Nahuel's voice call as Uncle Jasper pulled my suitcase from the trunk and joined me on the sidewalk. Nahuel ran from his perch on the front steps, and swept me into a hug, kissing my forehead. "How was the ride up?"

"Tiring," I whispered, pushing away from him slightly.

Ever since Nahuel had come back into my life, I'd acted as if nothing was wrong-that I was indifferent to seeing Jacob behind bars. It was a wall I'd built up around me to keep others out; to mask my true feelings on the subject. Truth be told, I was heartbroken, and only being in Jacob's warm arms would help me put the pieces of my heart back together again. Nahuel was only a temporary fix.

"Let's get you upstairs and settled, shall we?" Aunt Alice's small hands lovingly gripped onto my shoulders from behind. I could see out of my peripheral vision that she was giving my ex-boyfriend a glaring eye.

"Listen, Ness, I've got some things to do this afternoon, but I'd love to take you out to lunch tomorrow," Nahuel said, watching my uncle carefully as Jasper stared him up and down in obvious intimidation.

"She'd like that," Aunt Alice answered for me, tightening her hand on my shoulder. She leaned her head against mine so that her spiky hair tickled my cheek.

"Okay, I'll wait for you after your Lit class." Nahuel's brown eyes hesitated on my face for a moment, but he soon turned and raced toward his dorm on the opposite side of campus.

"Something seems a little weird about that guy, Nessie," Aunt Alice pondered, hugging me close as she led me toward the dorm's entrance. "It seems pretty suspicious that he showed up right when we got here."

"My thoughts exactly, darlin," Uncle Jasper agreed, following closely behind us with my suitcase.

"He's just protective of me," I assured them, not fully believing my own words.

I knew that Jacob had nothing to do with Angela and Ben's murders, but Nahuel kept trying to convince me that Jacob was bad news. Could Nahuel have been involved in the murders somehow? I began to wonder if he'd even left Forks after that night he'd found out about my relationship with Jacob. His sudden appearance at the police department Friday night had seemed rather odd.

"Did you see the way he looked at you? More like _possessive__,_ to me," my uncle said in a determined voice, and rushed ahead of us to hold the door open for Alice and me. He looked back in the direction in which Nahuel had disappeared. "I'll be keeping my eye on him for sure-_two_eyes, to be exact."

* * *

"Oh, my God! Ness!" My roommate from last year, Jessica, ran up to greet me as I headed for my Lit class that next day.

Ugh, could my first day back at college have been any worse? Not only did I have heaps of coursework to complete from my morning classes, but I also had to face the annoying repartee of Jessica "Want-to-put-a-plastic-bag-over-her-head-and-suffocate-her-to-death" Stanley. Not to mention the fact that my uncle was watching my every move, making me self-conscious and even more fidgety. If it wasn't bad enough having to share a room with Jessica for an entire academic year, she still considered me a close friend, even though I utterly despised her.

"Oh, my God, I was so worried about you," Jessica began without letting me get a word in edgewise, as we crossed the quad to the Humanities Building. "I heard about those murders in your hometown, and was about to _die_, waiting to see if you were okay. Oh, my God, I said 'die!' Isn't that like a jinx or something?"

"Don't worry, Jess. As you can see, I'm just fine," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I picked up my pace in an attempt to get away from her.

It started to drizzle as we reached the main entrance of the building, which made my pace quicken even further.

"Hey, dude, I totally understand if you're worried about what happened." She resumed her rambling, tossing her wavy, chestnut hair over her shoulder. "I can totally sympathize. You should be glad you didn't stay on campus over break, though. You remember that dude from the track team, Austin Marks?"

I shrugged in response, pushing my way through the front door of the building. Leave it to Jessica to randomly steer the topic of conversation back to her.

"Well, I kinda made out with him at the Beta Theta Zeta party Saturday night, but anyway, he's like _totally_ all hands, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that, you know? I mean, _ew_. I want to give it to someone I truly love, not just some random loser guy."

"Right, Jess." I nodded in response to her mindless banter, and made my way to the main stairwell, but she continued to follow me.

"See, I knew you'd understand." Jessica's voice became amplified by the acoustics inside the foyer, along with the detestable smacking sound of her gum. "Like, you totally have Nahuel...and he's superhot, and I'm sure you've done it with him. God, I can't even imagine how good he is in bed..."

Just then, I stopped dead in my tracks, as I caught sight of a shadowy figure at the top of the steps.

The figure remained unmoving, becoming more in focus, as my wide eyes watched him in terror. His pale blue eyes returned my stare, boring into me like he was the hunter, and I was his prey. All sounds around me faded to a dull hum, and shivers of fear began to undulate down my spine.

It was my attacker, James Volturi. There was no mistaking his dirty blond hair and worn jean jacket draped about his shoulders. My fellow classmates weaved their paths around him and down the stairs as if he wasn't even there, totally oblivious to the danger within their midst.

Suddenly, he held out a pallid hand toward me, and dread filled my entire being.

"_I see you_," he said in a menacing voice, his cracked lips morphing into an evil smirk.

In that split second, I turned and flew down the stairs, my heart racing within my chest. The binder and Women's Lit textbook I had been carrying in my arms dropped to the ground without a second thought.

"Ness, what the fu-" Jessica's voice trailed after me as I bolted out the building and ran straight down the sidewalk toward the rear parking lot, the raindrops lightly dousing my face and hair as I went.

"Uncle Jasper!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, darting towards his black Mercedes in the middle of the parking lot. He immediately exited his car, running toward me and fingering the gun in the holster at his hip.

"What happened?" he demanded, protectively placing his arms out to shield me. He turned his head toward me when I didn't answer, drops of rain dripping off his honey-blond curls. "Tell me right now, Nessie!"

"In the building at the top of the stairs!" I said, shaking my head and trying to gasp for air. "Long blond hair...dirty jean jacket! It's him!"

"Stay here!" Jasper ordered, gripping the gun in his right palm, and sprinted toward the Humanities Building at lightning speed. I watched as my fellow students scattered to grant him passage into the building, dumbfounded looks plastered across their faces.

I soon felt Aunt Alice's arm wrap around my shoulder from behind, making me jump, and she pulled me under the shelter of a beige-striped umbrella.

"It's okay, honey," she assured me, kissing the side of my head just above my right ear. I could feel her heart hammering against my back. "Jazz_always_ gets his man."

"Dude, what was that all about? My hair's totally ruined; I just had my highlights done!" Jessica joined Alice and me, panting and holding her sides as she struggled to breathe. Then she perked up, focusing on something behind us. "Well, never mind. Hello, biceps!"

Alice and I both turned our gaze back to the parking lot to see what had caught Jessica's attention so unexpectedly.

A familiar figure had pulled up to the curb on a black motorcycle. My heart leapt in my chest immediately at the sight.

Jacob sat on his bike, arms folded across his chest, looking off toward the street. Suddenly, his head pivoted in our direction, and a soft smile tugged at the corner of his mouth when his eyes met mine.

"Dude, wonder how old he is. He's definitely not a student," Jessica said, her voice sounding distant. "Hey, do you know that guy, Ness?"

"More than you know," I whispered, almost at a loss for words. I unconsciously broke my aunt's embrace, and began walking toward him, as if I was being drawn to him by an invisible magnet.

The patter of rain was coming down even harder, completely soaking my clothes, as I neared the curb. I didn't care. Jacob was here, and that was all that mattered at the moment. The heart-stopping incident on the stairs was long forgotten.

"Nessie?" Alice's questioning voice made me halt my footsteps. "You're going to ruin your new dress!"

My aunt's pleas were useless; I was unshakably mesmerized by the sight before me. Wild horses couldn't have dragged me away.

Jacob and I were both silent for a few moments, as I watched the raindrops run down his cheekbones and roll off his plump lips. A shudder erupted throughout my body, and a painful longing to feel those lips pressed against mine once again streamed relentlessly through my veins.

"I can't believe you're here," I managed to say, incredulously. I could now feel the moisture from the sudden downpour bleeding into the fabric of my shoes as I stood on the wet grass. "Did you bust out?"

"They let me go." Jacob smirked, rising off the bike, and winking. "On good behavior."

"Is that right?" I smiled, never taking my eyes off him.

He sighed, his expression turning serious. "I had to see you."

I bit my lip, watching the raindrops soak his white t-shirt, making it cling to the contours of his muscular chest.

"I've missed you," I said, my body already responding to the sight of him.

"You don't know how much I've missed you, Ness," Jacob said, his deep brown eyes piercing right through me.

I felt my nipples harden, and a consuming fire kindle between my legs from just one look into his smoldering eyes.

"Do you have class now, or...?"

Before he could finish his question, I grabbed the spare helmet off the back of his bike and began fastening the buckle under my chin.

With a chuckle, Jacob mounted the bike, helping me climb onto the seat behind him. He loudly revved the engine, and I hooked my arms around his waist, thrilled just to be touching any part of him again.

"Ness, what the _hell_ are you doing?" Aunt Alice hurried to meet us at the curb, stamping her right foot under her Burberry umbrella. "What would Charlie say?"

I turned to give my aunt an apologetic look, but instead, noticed the priceless, thunderstruck expression on Jessica's face. I smiled in victory, having finally rendered her speechless, and relaxed my head against Jacob's warm back.

Seconds later, Jacob and I sped out of the parking lot on his bike, just as Uncle Jasper ran to the curb, both hands on top of his head in defeat.

**Attn: So do you think what Ness saw at the top of the stairs was real or an invention of her guilty conscience? Ready for some reunion smexin in the next chapter? LOL Thought so. Let me know what you thought and a teaser will soon come your way! :)**


	13. Chapter 13: One Step Closer

_"Mistrust makes life difficult. Trust makes it risky."_

_~Mason Cooley_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW **

**Chapter 13: One Step Closer**

**Renesmee's POV**

I held tightly to Jacob's waist as we pounded the wet pavement away from the Seattle city limits. The early afternoon shower had graciously subsided a few miles back, and we were now beyond the thick blanket of rainclouds.

Resting my helmeted head against Jacob's back, I closed my eyes and relished in the soothing heat that radiated from his body. I couldn't believe he was here with me. There were so many things I wanted to ask him; so many things I wanted to know. A nervous knot pitted in my stomach, for I didn't quite know the nature of his sudden release from prison. Jacob had joked back at the university that he'd been released on 'good behavior.' Cops didn't just let presumably-guilty murderers out of jail based on their behavior. Still, I wondered what could have happened back in Forks to cause Charlie to let Jacob go. Had they found new evidence to exonerate him of Angela and Ben's murders?

My mind continued to reel as Jacob suddenly steered his black motorcycle into the parking lot of an old, quaint-looking motel. I raised my head from his back and took in the motel's appearance, frowning. Even though I was happy he'd brought me to a place where we could be alone, the motel reminded me of something straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Jacob pulled into a parking space toward the far end of the one-story motel and killed the engine, using his left foot to release the sidestand. Removing my helmet, I hopped off the bike and glanced toward the motel's flashing, neon sign.

"You sure this place wasn't called the Bates Motel at one time?" I turned to Jacob, flashing him a smile, and handed my helmet to him.

"I'm quite sure." He flirtingly winked and took the helmet from my hands. I heard him chuckle quietly to himself as he fastened it back in place on his bike. "It's all I could afford with the cash I grabbed from my house. I didn't want to use any credit cards."

"Why not?" I looked up at the sun peeking out from behind the clouds, extending my arms at my sides to soak up its drying warmth.

Jacob cleared his throat and sighed. "I didn't want to risk Charlie tracking us here."

"He doesn't know you came to Seattle?" I asked, dropping my arms. "You really busted out, didn't you?"

"No." He laughed. "Charlie let me go when an extra set of prints were found on my rifle. Witnesses even came forward. They saw me driving toward La Push when the murders supposedly happened. There just wasn't enough evidence to hold me any longer."

"Really? They know you didn't do it?" I questioned him, my happiness returning. I was so relieved to know that Detective Crowley no longer suspected Jacob of the murders. I couldn't keep the joy I felt from breaking out across my face.

"Yes, they do," Jacob simply said, mirroring my smile. His smile slowly retracted as his brown eyes looked me up and down. He blinked and leaned against his bike, crossing his arms over his chest. "Charlie granted my release and warned me not to come here."

"He told you not to see me," I whispered, my smile fading, and fingered the gold locket around my neck.

"Yes...but I couldn't stay away," he admitted, pulling me to him and linking his arms around my waist. "I had to see you again."

I shivered as our rain-soaked bodies came in contact. With Jacob leaning against the bike, we were now at eye level. Jacob looked deeply into my eyes, running his hands up and down the sides of my torso. My heart pounded as he leaned forward, stopping only a whisper away from my mouth. I could smell his sweet breath waft across my face, intoxicating me, and I felt almost lightheaded.

"I really like that dress on you, Ness," Jacob said, not diverting his attention from my eyes.

"Alice picked it out." I wrapped my arms around his neck in attempt to close the unbearable distance between us.

"She has good taste, but-" Jacob paused, leaning even closer to my lips, and then whispered in my left ear, "I think I'd like that dress even more if it were _off_ of you instead."

It didn't take another breath for Jacob's lips to find mine. He immediately stood up from the bike and hoisted me into his burly arms, my legs hooked around his waist. Carrying me toward our motel room, Jacob broke away from my lips briefly to unlock the door. He flung the door open, using his foot to close it heftily behind him.

Inside the musty room, Jacob threw me up against the wall, shoving his hands up the skirt of my dress. His lips never left mine as he ferociously ripped away my panties and tossed them aside.

"God, Ness, I want you." Jacob moved his lips to my neck, sucking at my pulse point. He pressed himself even further against me. "Feel that...do you _feel_ how much I want you?"

My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I felt his erection grind against my throbbing center. I gulped, knowing that I wanted him just as much, if not more. We hadn't seen each other for almost three days, yet it felt like an eternity.

"I want you, too, Jake. So fucking much," I breathed as he slowly slithered my dress up to my waist, revealing all that I had to offer him.

I stretched my arms out at my sides along the wall to steady my body as Jacob unbuckled his pants and shook them down his legs, along with his briefs, to the floor. He didn't waste any time; I soon felt him carefully slide into me, filling me completely.

I sucked in a breath and felt my walls begin to throb all around him. I didn't think our reunion called for a session of lovemaking; I wanted something more passionate, more aggressive. More intense.

"Fuck me, Jake," I said in a whimper, trying to remember to breathe, and repositioned my hands on his shoulders.

I felt a firm hand grip me by the chin and push my head to the wall.

"What did you say?" he bellowed into my face.

I looked at him with disbelieving eyes at his violent gesture, my body still aching with desire. "Fuck me, Jake. Please, baby..."

Jacob pressed his nose to mine, his eyes intently searching mine. The grip tightened on my chin. "Is that really you, Ness?"

"Of course it's me, Jake," I said and pressed my lips to his, wondering what the hell had gotten into him, I impatiently thrust my hips forward and hoped it would ease whatever worry was running through his mind. He had never shown the slightest bit of aggression toward me before now.

I moved my lips to his left ear, whispering, "Now, fuck me."

I then took his earlobe between my lips and sucked hard. That was all it took.

Jacob plastered me back up against the wall, pressing himself all the way inside me to the hilt. I moaned as he then pulled back and rammed into me once again.

"More," I yelped, relishing in the new sensations and desires now rushing through my veins. His brief moment of aggression was long forgotten.

Jacob began to move faster, pinning my hands above my head and crushing his lips to mine.

"Do you like me fucking you, Ness?" His husky voice hissed against my neck as he took a much needed breath. His words sent electrified pulses all the way to my waist.

"Yes, Jake...oh, God, Jake, harder!" I screamed, not fully believing the words that were escaping my mouth.

In one swift movement, Jacob grabbed me by the hips and flung me onto the bed positioned against the opposite wall. He pried my legs from around his waist and raised them to his shoulders, carefully removing each of my ballet flats. Positioning himself at my entrance, Jacob gently glided back into me.

"Oh, fuck," I murmured as he filled me this time. The pressure had intensified tenfold.

"You like that, baby?" Jacob smiled devilishly, his face twisting in pleasure. He roughly thrust his hips against me over and over again, pulling almost all the way out and then crashing back into my sex, my legs balanced on his shoulders.

"Yes, oh, God!" I ran my hands up to my breasts and began to tease my nipples atop the silk fabric of my dress. Jacob was hitting spots inside me I never knew existed; I could hardly fathom how amazingly euphoric I felt at the moment.

"Shit, Ness! Oh, fuck," Jacob growled, pushing slightly forward against my legs. I almost lost my sanity as I felt him empty his seed inside me.

Placing a hand to my warm forehead, I giggled when the realization hit me.

"What?" Jacob asked, his voice weak, and slid out of me, carefully dropping my legs. He pulled up his pants and collapsed onto the bed beside me, not bothering to fasten them. "I know...I'm sorry. It's been a few days since we-"

"No, it's not that. It's just...I thought you said you would prefer this dress _off_ me instead, yet you made no effort whatsoever to remove it," I coyly remarked, and rolled onto my side to face him.

"Well," he said, laughing, and leaning forward to press a kiss to my lips, "I didn't hear one complaint, now did I?"

"No, I guess you didn't," I replied, propping my head up on my elbow.

"I hope it wasn't too rough. I can get carried away sometimes." Jacob ran his hand up the inside of my bare leg, finally pausing just inches away from my sweet spot. My skin broke out in gooseflesh at his touch.

"It was perfect," I spoke breathlessly, my body presently ready to receive him again. "My panties on the other hand..."

"Sorry." Jacob's smile stretched across his face. Then his expression turned stern. "And I'm sorry for questioning if it was you or not. I can't believe I snapped like that with you. It's just...I had a nightmare yesterday and it-"

"Say no more, Jake," I assured him, trying to fight the urge to grab his hand and shove it further up my leg. "Believe me; I've had my f-fair share of nightmares. I _completely_ understand."

"Sure, sure," Jacob paused, appearing thoughtful, his shoulders immediately relaxed. "Why don't I make it up to you by moving this conversation to the shower?" His eyebrows curved upward in anticipation, and his hand inched up slightly between my legs. "I mean, we did drive all the way here in the rain."

I didn't answer him in words. Instead, I shooed away his hand and stood up from the bed, reaching behind my back. My fingers soon found the zipper at the nape of my neck and slowly lowered it to my waist. Jacob watched me with wide eyes as I shimmied out of the black-and-white striped dress, letting it drop carelessly to the floor. I hadn't worn a bra that morning, so I now stood before him completely nude.

"You wanted me out of that dress, right?" I asked in an innocent tone, placing my hands behind my head and striking a sexy pose.

Jacob's mouth fell open like a twelve-year-old boy who had just seen his first pair of boobs, and he frantically nodded.

Knowing I had him right where I wanted him, I turned on my heel and strutted toward the bathroom.

"Well, come and get it."

* * *

"Jake, can I ask you something?" I broke the silence as Jacob began massaging a palmful of the motel's complementary shampoo into my hair.

"Anything," he answered, bringing the shampoo into a lather.

"How come you've never used a condom with me?" I bluntly asked. "I mean, it never even crossed my mind because I'm on the pill, but I was just wondering why you never brought it up."

Jacob sighed and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I knew you were on the pill," he confessed dejectedly.

I turned to face him. "What? How did you-"

"I saw your pills when all that stuff fell out of your bag that first night we met-when that asshole tried to have his way with you against your truck," Jacob said, averting his attention back to rinsing the suds out of my hair. "Angela used to take them when we were together, so I know what they look like."

"Oh," I muttered and closed my eyes as his hands swept through my wet tresses under the steady spray. I knew it was reckless not to use extra protection at my stage in life, but some part of me really didn't care as long as I was with Jacob. I knew he would be there for me no matter what happened.

"I'm sorry, Ness," Jacob said, placing his hands on my shoulders. I opened my eyes, only to see a look of self-disgust painted on his face. "I should've been more responsible. If you want me to use one from now on or pull out before-"

I silenced him with my lips and then pulled away. "Never. I want to feel you, Jake. Every _part_ of you."

I ran my hands down his wet chest, my fingers lingering on his abs for several seconds, before moving down to his waist.

"No." Jacob forcefully grabbed my wrists. I looked at him in bewilderment as a seductive grin shot across his face. "It's _your_ turn."

Spinning me back around, Jacob raised my arms and locked them around his neck from behind. The constant shower of hot water cascaded down the length of my body, only to help set the mood even further. He traced a line down each arm, all the way to my chest, with the backs of his hands. A tingly chill rippled across my skin, ignited by his calloused, yet gentle, fingertips. Reaching my chest, he tenderly cupped my breasts with both of his large hands. I threw my head back against his shoulder as he began to pinch and twist my nipples, causing the moisture to seep between my legs.

"Jake," my lips parted with the word, my breath ragged. "Please..."

"Tell me what you want, baby," Jacob's husky voice breathed onto my neck.

"I want you to make love to me," I paused as he soothed my nipples with the pads of his thumbs, "w-with your hands."

"Mmm," Jacob hummed, lazily trailing his fingers down to my bellybutton, pausing momentarily. "Your wish is my command."

My breath caught in my throat as his hands spread my thighs apart, slightly grazing my folds with the tips of his strong fingers.

"I love you, Ness." Jacob kissed the skin between my neck and shoulder blade. "You're all I've ever wanted."

"I love you, too, Jake." I turned my head so that I could kiss him on the lips.

He then plunged a finger inside me, curling and twisting it, while massaging my clit with the fingers of his other hand. I was somewhat sore from our little romp against the wall, but the pleasure of being intimate with him again soon overruled any sensitivity I felt.

Jacob growled, pumping his finger even faster. "You're always so fucking wet...shit."

"Uh, uh, you make me this way, baby," I panted as the pressure began to gradually build between my legs. I reached forward and hooked my hands around the steel bar under the showerhead, bucking my hips against the force of his fingers. "Oh, God, Jake...yes, right there."

"Right here," Jacob responded, obligingly pinching my swollen clit and crooking the finger inside me at the same time. I nearly came undone at the seams.

"Yes, fuck." My knees almost buckled beneath me as unbridled pleasure shot through my body.

"Come, Ness," Jacob howled, nipping at my neck with his teeth, continuing to tease me with his fingers. I could now feel him grinding himself against my ass. "Scream my name as you come, baby."

Needing no further encouragement, I soared toward my peak at his lust-filled words, my walls clenching around his finger. My eyes blinked as my vision suddenly burst into a thousand black spots.

"Yes, Jacob! OH, FUCK YES!" I weakly leaned back against his chest, hardly able to stand, as I came down from my high. I released the bar in front of me and ran my hands through my soaked hair.

Kissing the side of my head, Jacob said, "I could listen to you say my name forever."

"Me, too," I admitted between uneven breaths. Slowly regaining my strength, I pivoted my body to face him. "Your turn now."

"Mmm, I like the sound of that," Jacob grunted with a smile, clasping his hands onto my head, as I knelt before him.

* * *

"I wanted to show you something," Jacob spoke, mindlessly stroking my arm as we lay on top of the bed, towels wrapped around our freshly-cleaned bodies.

He reached over to the nightstand and retrieved his wallet. "Remember this?"

Delving into the billfold section of his wallet, Jacob removed what appeared to be a wallet-sized photo. He held it up in the small trickle of sunlight shining through the shaded window. It was the same picture Jacob found in James' wallet that night by the cliffs. It was a picture of me-my senior portrait from high school.

"Yeah."

I nervously swallowed, feeling my anxiety return despite my post-coital bliss. What a perfect time to bring up the events of that terrible night. I just wanted to forget that it ever happened-at least for now anyway. Jacob and I were together again, and I didn't want to ruin the moment by drudging up the past.

"I took it from James' wallet before we dumped his body over the cliffs," Jacob continued, sighing. "I put it in my pocket and didn't realize I still had it until yesterday, when Charlie handed back my personal effects. I forgot I had put it in my wallet."

"It doesn't really mean anything. We already know someone is out to get me-to get us both-for James' murder," I tried to convince myself more than him.

"Well, look at this," Jacob said. "You know how pictures tend to stick together when you have them in a wallet for a while..."

He flipped the picture over and held it up again.

On the opposite side of the portrait, a young woman with beautiful green eyes and long, curly, burnt orange hair stared back at me. She was absolutely breathtaking, but her smile seemed almost menacing in nature. I took the picture from Jacob's hand to inspect it closer.

"Who is she, Jake?"

"Her name's Victoria," Jacob revealed, laying back against the pillows and tucking his hands behind his head. "Victoria Laurent."

"How do you know her name?" I asked, looking from the picture to Jacob. "Do you know her?"

He rose up from the bed, taking the joined pictures from my hand, and peeled them apart. He then handed me the two separate photos. I turned over the redhead's picture, and sure enough, scribbled on the back in legible script was the name, _Victoria Laurent_, and a date, _1988_.

"Do you think she's behind this, Jake?" I questioned, glancing back at the photo of the woman named Victoria. I wondered what wicked schemes lay just beyond those haunting, emerald-green eyes.

"I don't know." Jacob ran his thumb down my face from forehead to chin, before dropping his hand to his lap. "I did a little online research at the university's library. I couldn't find much, but I did find an address. It's about forty-five minutes from here. Might be worth checking out."

"Jake, why would we seek her out? She's already out to get us. We can't just show up on her doorstep. That would be suicide!" I threw the pictures haphazardly onto the mattress and stood up, beginning to pace. I couldn't believe what he was saying. "Why would you even suggest such a thing? She killed your ex-girlfriend, Jake!"

"We don't know that for sure, Ness," Jacob reasoned, joining me beside the bed, and placed a calming hand on my shoulder. "She could just be a family member, cousin, ex-girlfriend-"

"Wife," I added softly, biting my bottom lip. I could feel tears starting to pool in my eyes.

Jacob brushed the damp auburn curls back from my shoulder and sweetly kissed my forehead.

"I didn't mean to upset you," Jacob said in a soothing voice, lightly massaging my shoulders. "I just thought she might be able to help us. Maybe she can give us some information about James-maybe enough information to lead us to whoever's behind this."

"I don't have a good feeling about this, Jake." I looked up at him through a blurred veil of tears. "Didn't Charlie tell us to leave this mystery to the private investigator to solve?"

"The private investigator doesn't have this picture," Jacob considered. "I don't think Charlie even told him about James' murder to begin with. It would only incriminate me if the body was found. He's looking into the Chevelle that was following us."

"I don't know," I whispered, my body shaking slightly.

"I think it's worth a try. Why don't we just drive out there? If you're still feeling uneasy about it, we'll come back here. I promise," Jacob offered with a kind smile.

I nodded in response, and Jacob pulled me to him, embracing me with his warm, strong arms.

I rested my head against his shoulder and hoped with all my heart that he was right.

* * *

The next morning, Jacob and I decided to drive back to Seattle so I could grab a change of clothes and other personal items I needed from my dorm. Then, we would head toward the small town of Granite Falls to see if Victoria Laurent could give us any information on James.

As we pulled into the parking lot outside my dormitory, the uneasy feeling I'd had my first day back in Seattle settled over me once again. I wondered if my Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice would be waiting for me when I climbed the three flights of stairs to my dorm room. I could already sense their judging eyes on me.

"You want me to come with you?" Jacob suggested, helping me off the bike.

I looked up at the dreary, gray building, using my right hand to shade my eyes from the gleaming sunlight, and turned back to him.

"No, I think I'll be okay. Be right back." I sighed and started walking toward the building, but Jacob reached out to grab my hand.

"Five minutes," he firmly whispered. "Not a second more. If you're not back by then, I'm coming in after you."

Jacob pulled up his shirt to reveal a silver handgun tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

My eyes went wide in surprise. "Jake, where did you get-"

"It's my dad's, Ness. Just a precaution," Jacob said, lowering his shirt and still holding onto my hand. "We don't know who else is out there, and I'm not taking any chances with my life or yours."

He nodded and gently squeezed my hand. I took that as my cue, letting go of his hand, and hurried up to the front steps of McMahon Hall.

Ascending the three flights of stairs, I began to make a mental list of items I needed from my room. As I opened the door to the third floor, a familiar figure stepped into the doorway, holding out an arm to block my passage. My heart fell in my chest, and I gasped as the figure's hand latched onto my arm.

"Ness, where the hell have you been?" Uncle Jasper's voice was livid. "Alice and I have been worried sick!"

"Sorry, Uncle Jasper," I said after catching my breath. "I just had to see Jacob again."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be with him, Nessie," Jasper bellowed. His eyes softened as he released my arm. "He was the suspect of a double homicide investigation."

"Jacob was found innocent, Uncle Jasper," I told him and pushed my way past him, rushing to my single room near the end of the hall. "He'll keep me safe. Don't worry."

"Well, what about school? You can't just ditch school for some guy, Nessie!" my uncle called, and followed me down the hall as I turned the key to unlock my door. Several students standing in the hallway gave us curious looks.

"I'll catch up. It's more important that Jacob and I find out as much as we can about my parents' death," I tried to reason with him, entering my room.

I immediately went to my dresser and began pulling out several pairs of jeans and t-shirts, throwing them into my canvas messenger bag. Satisfied that I had what I needed, I grabbed a comfortable pair of shoes and headed toward the door to leave, but Jasper blocked my way with his firm arm once again.

"Nessie, I'm begging you to reconsider. Please...do it for Alice. She's been a complete wreck. I finally persuaded her to get some sleep about an hour ago," my uncle pleaded with me. "And Charlie..."

"You haven't told Charlie, have you?" I questioned, worry beginning to enter my brain. I didn't want Charlie to know I was with Jacob; he'd told me when Jacob was arrested to stay away from him.

"No, I haven't. I was hoping you'd come back before I had to." Uncle Jasper's voice was stern. "But if you leave again, I'll have no other choice. He left you under my protection and trusted me with your safety. That's all I care about right now."

"Uncle Jasper, please trust me," I begged, looking at him with desperation in my eyes. "Jacob loves me; he won't let anything happen to me. You have to trust me. Please!"

After several seconds, my uncle finally sighed, dropping his arm.

"Okay, but please don't make me regret this," Jasper said through clenched teeth, stepping aside to grant my passage into the hallway.

"Thank you, Uncle Jasper." I stood on my tiptoes to place a small kiss to his right cheek. "And tell Alice not to worry."

With those final words, I darted back down the hallway, draping my messenger bag over my shoulder as I went. I flew down the stairs and out the front entrance of the dormitory, my eyes transfixing on Jacob as he stood by his bike.

"Ness! You're back!" The voice made me turn my head to the right, and I caught sight of Nahuel running toward me. He stopped a few feet away from me when he spied Jacob by the curb, anger evident in his expression. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"He's with me, Nahuel, and we were just leaving." I held up a hand in dismissal and hurried toward Jacob's bike. Nahuel's behavior had been somewhat suspicious over the past few days, and I wasn't about to let him near me again.

"No, Ness, he murdered his ex-girlfriend and her lover! He should be behind bars!" Nahuel's arm clasped onto mine, pulling me back toward the building. He screamed into my face, holding my arm in a vice grip, "How can you even trust him after what he did!"

"Ow, you're hurting me, Nahuel! Let me go!" I tried to free myself from Nahuel's tightening arm to no avail.

"Get your damn hands off her!" Jacob came to my rescue, grabbing Nahuel forcefully by the neck from behind, his elbow curled underneath Nahuel's chin. "Who the fuck do you think you are!"

I shut my eyelids firmly and used all the strength I could muster to kick Nahuel right between the legs, causing Jacob to release him. Nahuel's body fell almost weightlessly to the sidewalk below.

"You fucking bitch!" Nahuel yelled, grasping his groin area and wailing back and forth on the hard ground.

I stumbled backward, my mind in a daze, not fully believing that I'd been the one to save myself from harm this time. However, Nahuel's hurtful words had cut me deeply, and I immediately felt remorse for what I'd done. With an outstretched hand, I knelt down to help him to his feet.

"Let's get out of here, Ness," Jacob instructed, a smug expression etched across his lips, and stopped my arm before it could reach Nahuel.

I looked up, noticing a small crowd of onlookers had gathered, and then glanced back at Nahuel, who was now screaming indecipherable phrases in Portuguese at the top of his lungs. I realized in that split-second that we had to get the hell out of there before someone called the campus police.

Taking hold of Jacob's waiting hand, I stood and hurriedly mounted his bike. I didn't even bother with the helmet and hooked my arms around Jacob's waist, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from this place as I could.

"You don't know how much that turned me on," Jacob whispered over his shoulder, before revving the engine and zooming out of the dorm's parking lot.

I smiled an uneasy grin as we fled the college campus and sped onto the highway, heading north. I'd known Nahuel for an entire year, and he'd never shown any violence toward me before. I couldn't shake the feeling that my Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper had been right about him all along.

The more I thought about it, there was no doubt left in my mind. Nahuel had definitely had something to do with Angela and Ben's murders.

* * *

We reached the quaint town of Granite Falls, Washington, at about noon that same day. The town was nestled at the base of Mount Pilchuck, serving as a gateway to the breathtaking, snow-capped Cascade Mountains. I remembered traveling to those same mountains on a hiking trip once with my parents long ago. I released a sigh at the thought, as Jacob steered his Harley onto a side road just on the outskirts of town.

The gravel road looped around a small hill covered with trees in various shades of brown and green. As we neared the apex of the hill, I looked over Jacob's shoulder to see an old, Victorian house gradually come into focus. It appeared to be quite unkempt and dilapidated. Angry vines grew in all directions around the exterior of the house, and the once-white painted surface carried a slight brownish tint, obviously due to the relentless weather typical of the Pacific Northwest. There were no cars in the cracked, weed-infested driveway, and I silently hoped our trail wasn't leading to a dead end.

Jacob pulled the bike in front of the house and turned off the engine, balancing its weight on the sidestand.

"Remember our cover story?" Jacob asked, glancing back at me, his eyes squinting in the beaming sunlight.

"Yes," I answered as I dismounted the bike, taking Jacob's hand.

I went over the story again in my head to make sure I didn't forget any detail before we reached the front steps. We were posing as a married couple, just passing through town, in desperate need of a restroom.

Hand in hand, Jacob and I walked toward the two-story house, not quite knowing what to expect. The house looked like something straight out of _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_. I laughed quietly to myself at the thought. It was pretty ironic, considering the week Jacob and I had just experienced.

Taking the front steps one at a time, we staggered onto the front porch and quickly broke apart. I darted my eyes around the porch, noticing several dead plants in numerous stages of decay positioned on the wooden surface. The loose floorboards creaked underneath our feet as we inched closer to the cobweb-covered doorway.

Jacob and I shared an anxious glance, and he motioned for me to knock on the door. I warily raised my hand to knock, when the door unexpectedly opened, startling us both. I gasped, placing a hand over my heart to keep it from leaping out my chest.

"The sign says 'no soliciting.' " A gray-haired woman with stunning green eyes stuck her head out the cracked door to speak and then swiftly closed it.

I looked over at the picture window to my left and noticed the black and orange sign taped to the glass from the inside. Sensing my uneasiness, Jacob took the initiative.

"Ma'am, we were looking for Victoria Laurent," Jacob called to her, giving me an apologetic look. Well, I guessed our cover story was shot to hell. "Does she live here?"

A few moments of silence passed, and then the wooden door languidly crept open once again.

"What wants to know?" the elderly woman's voice questioned from behind the door. "What business do you have with her?"

"Ma'am," I spoke up, saying the first thing that came to mind, my voice sounding somewhat shaky, "my name is Vanessa Wolfe, and this is my husband, Jason. We are old friends of hers."

"Did you work with her at the hospital?" The woman's wrinkled face now appeared in the crevice of the open door, her eyes wild in suspicion. The features around her eyes resembled those of the woman in the picture, but she was much too old to be Victoria. Maybe this woman was her mother.

"Y-yes, ma'am," I replied, going along with it, and looked to Jacob for assurance. "We were very c-close. I would very much like to see her again."

Jacob nodded in agreement, and I turned back to the old woman, anticipating her answer.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry to tell you this," the woman began, her tone softening, "but Vicky passed away almost five years ago this past December."

The smile soon faded from my lips, and my heart rate climbed to dizzying heights at her words.

Victoria Laurent was dead, and her picture had been placed in my attacker's wallet for a reason, as was mine. The image of James' pale blue eyes flashed before me, solidifying what I already knew in my heart.

My parents weren't James Volturi's only victims; there was no telling how many had come before or how many had come after them. _Or_ how many could have been.

I closed my eyes, remembering his dead body as it tumbled down the cliffs.

Someone was out to finish what he had started.

**Attn: Thanks for your patience with this chapter. It took me a while to finalize, so I hope it was worth the wait. Sorry to all of you who thought Victoria was the mastermind behind the scenes here. LOL Any other guesses or thoughts? I'd love to hear them. This time around, if you review, I'm offering a little outtake in Jake's POV. It will give you an idea of what he did leading up to the moment he came to see Ness. Jacob in your inbox…how great is that! But remember, it's only for those who review! :)**

**Also, just wanted to let you know that this story has been nominated for a Twilight All-Human FanFiction Award (twilightallhumanawards . webs . com) in the category, "FanFiction You Couldn't Stop Reading." If you feel so inclined to vote, polls open on August 30th! Thanks so much for your support!**


	14. Chapter 14: Theories

_"It is the theory that decides what can be observed."_

_~ Albert Einstein_

~.~.~.~

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 14: Theories**

**Renesmee's POV**

"Well, any friend of Vicky's is a friend of mine." The old woman's voice barely registered as I stood on the porch of the Victorian house, fear conquering over me. "Would you two care to join me for some tea?"

Paralyzed by fright, all I could manage to do was stare blankly at the woman's striking green eyes. A nagging pull coupled with tingles at the base of my spine warned me not to take another step further. Part of me wanted to believe that the old woman was telling the truth; she seemed harmless enough. The other, more rational part of me was terrified that it might be a trick to get us behind closed doors. For all we knew, the perpetrator could have been lurking just inside the front door, waiting to pounce on us the second we crossed the threshold.

"We'd love to. Thank you," I heard Jacob accept her invitation.

I felt a warm, tugging hand on mine, rousing me from my racing thoughts. My wide eyes darted to Jacob's face, and he gave me a reassuring look as we both followed the woman into the dark, musty house.

"Jake," I whispered, leaning closer to him to avoid the old woman hearing my words. "This could be a trap. We should get the hell out of here."

"She's just a harmless old lady, Ness," Jacob said in a low voice, his tone confident. "Besides, she knew Victoria. Maybe she knew James, too."

"What was that?" The woman stopped and angled her left shoulder back toward us, raising her silver eyebrows. "You'll have to excuse my poor ears."

Jacob cleared his throat, taking a quick look at our new surroundings. "Um, I was just saying to Vanessa what a lovely home you have here."

"Well, thank you, young man. Right this way." She smiled, the laugh lines around her lips becoming more defined. She turned and traveled further into the wood-paneled foyer.

"It'll be fine," Jacob whispered convincingly. "Trust me."

I nervously bit my bottom lip, gripping Jacob's hand tighter for strength, as the woman led us into the sitting room. My senses became instantly assaulted by the scent of an old, wood-fired furnace and freshly-baked bread. It reminded me of home.

"You two make yourselves comfortable and I'll put the kettle on," the woman merrily instructed, gesturing toward the loveseat in the center of the room. She then excused herself and dashed toward the next room through the opposite entryway.

Jacob motioned for me to take the lead, and I took several cautious steps toward the rose-colored couch, glancing around the small space as I went.

Despite the foreboding exterior of the house, the interior was quite tidy and immaculate. Two wooden-legged chairs were positioned opposite the couch in identical upholstery, and separating the couch from the chairs was a round, wooden coffee table adorned with several crocheted doilies. The bleach-white walls were covered in various framed portraits of faces I didn't recognize, save for one—Victoria's angelic, alabaster skin and exquisite emerald eyes were hard to forget.

The massive grandfather clock chimed, announcing the arrival of high noon, just as Jacob and I took a seat on the sofa. The ominous sound echoed throughout the empty house, almost stopping my heart.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the apprehension that now streamed relentlessly through my veins. My right leg began to bounce up and down in an attempt to calm my nerves, but I soon felt a firm hand clasp onto my knee.

"You have to relax, Ness." Jacob patted my knee and then wrapped the same arm around my shoulders. "We don't want to blow our cov-"

"Well, here we are," the woman called as she entered the sitting room, making me jump.

In her hands, she carried a wooden tray topped with a white teapot and several matching teacups. The familiar clanging of fine china became louder with her every step.

"Oh, I feel like such a _clod_; I forgot to introduce myself." The woman set the tray down on the coffee table in front of us and began pouring hot water in each cup to the brim. She then dipped teabags into the cups several times to soak the granules. "I'm Mrs. Laurent—Jane Laurent. Vicky was my daughter."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Laurent," Jacob said, his eyes deflecting to me. My assumption from earlier was confirmed. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"You're most welcome." Mrs. Laurent smiled up at Jacob and handed me a cup of the steaming liquid. "Ladies first."

"T-thank you," I replied through quivering lips, palming the teacup with both hands.

She handed the other cup to Jacob and retreated to one of the armchairs facing the loveseat, folding her legs together at the ankles. I now noticed that her seemingly-long, stark-white hair was twisted into a taut bun on the top of her head and she wore a pale pink housecoat over what appeared to be a nightgown. A pair of black-rimmed reading glasses hung from a string of multi-colored beads around her neck.

"I'm so delighted to have visitors again," Mrs. Laurent began, resting her elbows on the armrests of the chair and lacing her rumpled fingers together across her chest, "No one's really been to visit me since Vicky's passing. You said you worked with her at the hospital in Seattle?"

My brown eyes guiltily shot down to the teacup in front of me. I stared down at the amber liquid, watching the tiny bubbles make patterns around the rim, unsure of how to proceed with the conversation. Any wrong answer and our cover would have been blown.

"Um… well, I didn't," Jacob responded, sitting up slightly, and squeezed my shoulder. "But Vanessa here did, right, honey?"

"Uh, y-yes," I stumbled over the words and looked up from my tea, half-smiling.

"I don't mean to be rude, but frankly, you look awfully young to have worked there five years ago." Mrs. Laurent's questioning eyes narrowed on my face, the wrinkles of her forehead becoming more pronounced. "You don't look a day over twenty."

"S-she was a candy striper… in high school," Jacob obligingly interjected. I gave him a fleeting look of gratitude for coming to my rescue once again.

"Ah." Mrs. Laurent leaned back in her chair, crooking her head in my direction. "She never mentioned you, but I'm sure that was just an oversight. I didn't talk to her very often anyway. Vicky must've meant a great deal to you to come all this way from Seattle to visit her after all these years."

"Yes, ma'am." I pretended to take a quick sip of my tea and set the cup down on the coffee table. Something in my gut cautioned me not to drink any of the tea. Mrs. Laurent's tone of voice didn't seem too trusting and who knew what she had put in the water before making the tea. I looked over at Jacob as he vigorously swallowed several mouthfuls, feeling somewhat unsettled by his blind faith.

"I'm sorry I had to be the one to break the news to you," the old woman said dismally, tears shimmering in her green eyes. She picked up her reading glasses and began polishing the lenses with the hem of her housecoat. "I could hardly believe it myself when it happened."

"What happened to her?" Jacob finished his tea, placing the cup on the table beside mine. He rested his back against the cushion of the loveseat and returned his arm around my shoulders.

We both already knew the answer to his question.

"She was murdered," she answered, her eyes drifting to a portrait on the wall. I followed her gaze, focusing on the picture of a young girl with auburn hair drawn up into pigtails. My stomach lurched as I realized the similarities between Victoria and me. Maybe that's why James chose me; I was a redhead just like her.

"I'm s-so sorry," I managed to say, glancing down at my palms, which were now pruned with sweat.

"It wasn't your fault." I could see Mrs. Laurent's gaze revert back to me out of the corner of my eye. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed as if the tone of her voice and the fiery sparkle in her eyes were convicting me.

"Did they ever catch who did it?" Jacob's grip intensified on my shoulder. My head shot up with his question, and I waited with baited breath for her response.

"No… no, they didn't." Mrs. Laurent stared absently at the photograph once again and sighed. "They had a few leads, but… no arrests were ever made."

Chills rippled in waves down my spine. My greatest fear had been confirmed. Of course, James was never indicted for Victoria's murder; he had escaped arrest and then murdered my parents, eventually coming after me. My thoughts shifted to that terrifying night by the cliffs. I found myself delighting in the fact that Jacob had ended James' killing spree once and for all. Then, I quickly remembered—someone was still out there, trying to finish what he had started.

"Would you like to see her room, Vanessa?" Mrs. Laurent brought my attention back to the present. "I kept it just the way she left it."

"I think she would love to see it," Jacob spoke up when I didn't answer, patting my left knee with his opposite hand. He flashed me his killer smile. "Wouldn't you, honey?"

His thick eyebrows lifted, signifying his intentions for wanting to see Victoria's room. I knew what he was thinking… maybe there was some lingering clue left in her room that would lead us to whoever was behind the murders. Though I trusted Jacob with every fiber of my being, I still didn't have a good feeling about any of this.

I loudly swallowed and forced a fake smile. "Sure, I'd love to."

"Great, it's right this way." Mrs. Laurent immediately emptied her seat and started walking toward the staircase inside the foyer.

Jacob tenderly squeezed my shoulder, before standing up and rubbing the tension out from his neck. He reached out for my hand, and I uneasily placed my shaky one in his.

Sighing, I stood and followed the woman up the rickety staircase, clutching tightly to Jacob's warm hand. As we reached the top of the stairs, my gaze fell on several pictures of a young girl with short, brown hair and blue eyes aligning the walls of the upstairs hallway. I couldn't get a good look at her from the layers of dust caked atop the glass of each picture frame, but still, I began to muse over the young girl's identity. I wondered briefly if Victoria had a younger sister.

A square indentation surrounded by faded wallpaper toward the middle of the photos sparked my curiosity, leading me to believe a picture was missing. Pausing momentarily in front of the empty space on the wall, I furrowed my eyebrows and reached out an inquisitive hand.

Where was the missing picture? And more importantly, _who_ was its subject?

"Here it is," Mrs. Laurent called, followed by the sound of a doorknob turning.

I swiftly jerked back my hand and let my arm fall at my side, turning my attention toward the end of the hall where she now stood. I decided to save my question about the missing picture for later.

Mrs. Laurent then flung open the wooden door, beckoning us into an unknown world. She hesitated on the threshold for several seconds before entering the bedroom.

"I know it's kind of silly, leaving it like this for so long. Some part of me, I guess, was just hoping she'd come home one day."

"How old was she when she died?" Jacob asked as we stepped into the room behind her.

Jacob's question hung in the air as my eyes began to take in the room's appearance. I could tell how dated the furnishings were, and thus, the reason for Jacob's query. The posters adorning the pink-colored walls were of bands I'd never heard of before. My mind then flew back to the date on the back of Victoria's picture: _1988_. It seemed that it had been quite a number of years since Victoria had left her imprint on the room.

"She was thirty-four," Mrs. Laurent replied dejectedly, fingering some of the trinkets on a mahogany dresser. "See, I told you it was silly."

She paused for a few lingering moments, running her hands along the grooves of the dresser as if she were recalling memories of the past, and finally sighed. She turned and peered out the bedroom window, her expression drawn.

"She left home when she was seventeen with a boy she met in high school. She managed to call on occasion, but for the most part, I never saw her again."

I took a deep breath, trying to fight back imminent tears. I couldn't believe how horrible Victoria had treated her mother, leaving her alone all those years without even one, single visit.

"I'm sorry. T-that must've been very hard on you," I tried to console her, but then realized how stupid and rhetorical my words had sounded.

"Yes, very much so. The last I'd heard, she'd taken up a job at the University of Washington's hospital as a receptionist." The woman dotted her tears with the tips of her fingers, turning to face Jacob and me.

My heart skipped a beat and then charged like a stampede of raging bulls inside my chest. My father, Edward Cullen, had worked at the very same hospital before he was killed in the accident along with my mother. So did his father, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. My father was an attending physician, specializing in Emergency Medicine, while my grandfather was a respected surgeon. The pieces of the puzzle inched closer together as I considered the possibility that my father might have known Victoria while she was still alive.

"Vanessa, you must tell me," Victoria's mother summoned me from my silent thoughts. Her imploring eyes sought out mine. "What was she like when you knew her? Was she… _happy_?"

"Yes, she was happy, Mrs. Laurent. _Very_ happy." I smiled at her reassuringly, and she nodded in response, returning her attention to Victoria's belongings, a hand clasped over her mouth to stifle an impending sob.

Adrenaline shooting through my veins, I glanced over at the vanity to my left. My eyes came to rest upon a framed picture of Victoria beside the vanity's oval mirror, but something else in the picture captured my full attention. I sauntered closer to the vanity and swept the portrait up into my palms. In the picture, Victoria was standing with one arm draped around a tall, muscular man with light-brown hair and the other poised atop the roof of a black Chevrolet Chevelle.

I nearly lost all conscious thought as I stared down at the picture with trembling hands, almost crushing it between my fingers. The car that had followed me when I went to visit Jacob at his garage—the same car that had taunted us the day Charlie destroyed Jacob's Rabbit—had once belonged to Victoria. _Or_ at least to the man in the picture.

"Ah, you found that picture, huh?" Mrs. Laurent broke the silence in the room, walking over to meet me. She retrieved the frame from my hands and placed her palm on top of the glass. "Vicky _loved_ that Chevelle. Her father bought it for her for her sixteenth birthday."

At the word _Chevelle_, I worriedly glimpsed at Jacob, whose gaze immediately met mine.

_No fucking way_, he mouthed the words with shock-filled eyes, realizing the significance of the clue I had just stumbled upon.

"Whatever happened to it?" Jacob then asked aloud.

"Don't know." Mrs. Laurent frowned, meticulously placing the picture back on the vanity, making sure it was positioned right where I'd found it. "I guess the mystery died with her."

"May I ask who the m-man is in the picture?" I inquired, warily glancing back at Jacob. A curious look etched across his face, and he ran his fingers pensively along the stubble lining his chin.

"Oh, that's James, the boy she ran off with when she was seventeen," Mrs. Laurent revealed with heartbreak in her voice, not diverting her attention from the vanity. "The cops were looking at him as a suspect in Vicky's murder, but they didn't have enough evidence to convict him. He died in a drunk driving accident about a year after she passed. I guess the grief was still too near for him. His blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit that night… he hit and killed a couple out celebrating their anniversary."

I couldn't stop the tears from flowing at her words. They brutally ripped open tightly-sealed wounds that I had tried to keep closed for almost four years. My heart ached to hear the retelling of my parents' death, but what shocked me the most was the fact that I started to feel empathy toward James. Although he'd been responsible for my parents' homicide, I still couldn't help but feel sorry for _his_ loss as well. Maybe James didn't murder Victoria as I'd once thought. Maybe it was just a coincidence that she'd once worked at the same hospital as my father. And maybe, just maybe, James wasn't the one we'd thrown over the cliffs that night. The man in the picture had cropped, brown hair, not long, blond locks pulled back into a ponytail.

"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to upset you," Mrs. Laurent acknowledged my reaction by placing a consoling hand on my shoulder. "I know it's a lot to take in."

"I think we better get going," Jacob said, protectively pulling me away from her embrace. Mrs. Laurent retracted her hand as if she'd been electrocuted. "Thank you for your time, Mrs. Laurent, and sorry for your loss."

My mind was twisted in a jumble of confusion as Jacob heftily tugged my arm down the stairs and out the front door to his bike. He quickly hopped onto his motorcycle and helped me onto the seat behind him.

Seconds later, Mrs. Laurent stormed onto the porch, a look of exasperation and befuddlement on her face. I stared vacantly at her aged visage, my mind reeling at the possibility that Jacob and I could have been wrong all along about James.

Glancing toward the house, Jacob kicked back the sidestand and powerfully revved the engine. As we sped away from the old, Victorian house, I desperately clung to Jacob's waist, my eyes spilling over with grief-stricken tears.

We were one step closer to the truth, yet much farther away than we had ever been.

* * *

**Jacob's POV**

I pulled into the parking space in front of the cheap motel room I'd managed to secure for Ness and me, trying to battle the emotions that now lay heavily on my heart.

Ness was hurting, and I needed to get her inside the motel room, so that I could make some sort of attempt to comfort her.

We had just confirmed several important details surrounding the accident four years ago that claimed the lives of her parents and James Volturi. It was a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that James' all-consuming grief had been the ultimate cause of the accident. It seemed that Bella and Edward Cullen had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I quickly dismounted my Harley, aiding a despondent Ness in doing the same. I wrapped my right arm around her shoulder and guided her limp body into the dank, antiquated motel room.

"Why don't you lie down, baby?" I suggested, leading her over to the full-sized bed.

Ness lifelessly turned around and plopped down on the surface of the bed. Her cheeks were thickly stained with tears, and her eyes were red and swollen. I bent over her and kissed the top of her head, letting my lips linger on her forehead for several fleeting seconds. Her once warm skin was now ice cold to the touch.

"Ness, you need anything?" I placed my hands on each of her shoulders, looking deeply into her bloodshot eyes and hoping to break her out of her despair. When she made no response, I let my palms fall from her shoulders and went into the bathroom to retrieve a glass of water.

Turning on the tap, I grabbed a disposable cup from beside the sink and filled it to the top. I sighed, taking a generous sip, and took a glimpse at my reflection in the mirror.

_Get yourself back in there, Black_, I heard my conscience command. _She needs you more than ever._

Obeying my inner monologue, I reentered the main room with the plastic cup firmly in my hand only to notice Ness' body curled into a ball in the middle of the bed. My emotions did a nose dive. It almost crippled me to see the woman I loved in so much distress. And I knew that _I_ was the cause of her pain. If I hadn't pressed the issue to check out Victoria's house in the first place, Ness wouldn't have had to relive the memories of the night her parents were killed.

I pulled back the cotton fabric of my shirt with my free hand, my fingers lightly brushing against the metal of the handgun tucked into my jeans. I removed the Beretta and laid it along with the cup of water on the nightstand, crawling onto the bed beside Ness' tightly coiled body.

I snuggled closer to her, pressing my body into hers from behind, and brushed the soft curls of her hair back from her right shoulder.

"I love you," I whispered onto her neck, providing it with a single, tender kiss.

Her body responsively trembled with a heavy sob, and she buried her head in her hands.

"I'm so confused, Jake," I heard Ness' muffled voice confess. "Why is all this happening? Why now?"

My heart throbbed in excruciating agony at her sorrowful words. The sobs viciously rocked her body once again, and I felt helpless to make them go away. Two nights in a prison cell could never compare to the torture just one of her tears had caused.

"I don't know, Ness," I honestly replied, placing my head on top of hers. I pulled her closer to my body until our bodies almost felt like one. "But we're going to get to the bottom of this whole mystery. I can promise you that."

Suddenly, Ness pivoted her body toward me, forcing her pouty lips to mine. Her kisses were urgent and of nothing but pure need. My lips remained unresponsive, stunned by her unexpected gesture of affection, as I felt her fingers frantically fumble for the button at the top of my jeans. While I was delighted that she needed me so badly, I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of her in her present vulnerable state. I ran each of my palms up to her chin and forced her lips to break the connection.

"Ness, I don't think this is what you need right now," I tried to make her see reason, bringing my forehead to hers. "I know you're hurting, but sex isn't going to make the pain go away. Believe me; I know from experience."

"I just need you, Jake." Her voice held a slight tremor. Her wet, bloodshot eyes flew up to mine. "I need you to help me forget… _make_ me forget… even if it's only for a few minutes."

I sighed, knowing that I probably wasn't going to win this battle. I would surely give her anything she desired. Her tears were just too much for me to take.

"Are you su-"

Ness hitched her left leg over my body, grabbing one of my hands and urging it toward the swell of her breasts. My hand immediately molded around her perfectly-rounded breast as if my palm was made for it. My heart thudded within my chest as I began to knead the firm mound atop the silk fabric of her dress. Her lips released a moan at my touch, the vibrations of the sound traveling all the way to my dick.

I. Was. A. Goner.

I softly nudged her shoulder, pushing her down on top of the bed, and placed my knees between her legs. I tugged at the hem of my t-shirt and flung it overhead, watching Ness swiftly dry the tears from under her eyes with her fingertips.

I leaned down to kiss the spot just under each of her eyes, before bringing my lips to hers. My hands soon found the zipper behind her neck, and she rose up slightly off the bed, so that I could remove the dress from her body. I tossed her dress into a heap on the floor, my eyes then marveling at the sexiest, most beautiful sight I had ever beheld.

I slowly inched her panties down her thighs and legs, kissing the tender flesh the fabric revealed as I went. Ness released another moan, arching her back in anticipation of our imminent connection.

Quickly relieving myself of my pants and briefs, I climbed back onto the bed and hovered over my beautiful Ness, my elbows anchored on either side of her untamed hair.

"I'm gonna make you forget now, Ness," I spoke, pressing my lips to her forehead, her chin, the valley between her breasts. Her body quivered underneath my lips. "Close your eyes and let me love you."

Her brown eyes fluttered closed, her body relaxing against the sheets of the motel bed. Her hips then lifted off the bed in expectation.

Balancing my weight on one arm, I reached down with the other and placed my rock-hard cock at her entrance. I slowly sheathed myself within her sweet warmth, feeling her walls instantaneously tighten around me. Ness' pale lips parted in a suppressed whimper at the motion. I echoed her moan at the sensation of filling her so completely, but soon made myself focus. This wasn't about my pleasure; this was about hers and hers alone.

My movements were slow and unhurried as I began to make love to the woman who was now my whole world, clasping my hands together with hers above her head. I tilted my head toward her left ear, whispering over and over again the three words I meant with all my being: "I love you."

In that moment, I remembered the night Ness comforted me in the kitchen of my father's house; how she had come to my rescue that night. I needed her then just as _she_ needed me now. My only regret was that I could only provide her with an impermanent fix.

She would soon remember what she wanted so desperately to forget.

* * *

"We need to call Carlisle," Ness blurted out over the hot cup of coffee poised only millimeters away from her pink lips.

I lowered the diner's menu from my eyes, startled by her abrupt statement. It was the first sentence she'd spoken since she asked me to make love to her in the motel room.

Tossing the menu aside, I reached across the table and layered my hand with hers. "Edward's dad? I thought he moved to Alaska. Why should we contact him, Ness?"

She set her coffee cup in the center of the beige saucer in front of her, lacing both of her hands with mine. She sucked in a sharp breath and then released it.

"Mrs. Laurent said that Victoria worked at the University of Washington's hospital, right?" Ness asked.

"That's right," I confirmed, nodding my head. "She worked as a receptionist."

"Right. Well, I've been thinking. My father and Victoria worked at the same hospital. Maybe it wasn't just a coincidence that James hit and killed my parents that night. Some part of me wonders if my parents had something to do with Victoria's death." Ness leaned back against the cushion of the booth, her lips curving into a frown.

"Okay…" I let my mind wander, considering what she'd just said. I wasn't going to dismiss any assumption at this point. "Any theories so far?"

"I hate to admit it, but-" Ness' eyes deflected to wooden surface of the table. Her eyes glistened with tears. "Maybe my father was having an affair with her."

"Come on, Ness," I scoffed, squeezing her hand. "With Victoria? Edward would _never_ cheat on Bells. His whole world revolved around her."

"I know, it's just… he worked very long hours at the hospital… he was always coming home late…" She took a harsh breath as a single tear rolled down her left cheek. She brought a shaky hand to her forehead and leaned against it. "Oh, God."

"Ness, all doctors work long hours." I took the hand pressed to her forehead and brought it to my lips. Ness' brown eyes looked hopefully up at mine. "It comes with the job. It doesn't mean he was cheating on your mom."

"I know, but I still can't help but wonder… what if James found out about the affair and murdered Victoria?" Ness proposed, sniffing back her tears. "And then went after my dad?"

I exhaled loudly, bringing Ness' hand down to the table but not letting it go. "Why would he wait a whole year though? Mrs. Laurent said Victoria was murdered about a year before the accident."

"I don't know," Ness said solemnly, the muscles of her forehead crinkled in thought. "Maybe he was waiting until the newness of her death wore off—until he was sure the cops didn't suspect him anymore in case he survived the crash."

I sighed, my thoughts racing at what Ness had just suggested. I let go of Ness' hands and ran my own through my thick hair and then down the length of my face. I still couldn't believe that Edward would ever cheat on Bella. If I'd had _any_ inkling that he'd been unfaithful to her, I would have driven all the way to Seattle and given him a royal ass-kicking. He had won her, and I'd be goddamned if he didn't treat her as with as much decency as she deserved.

Despite my doubts, I had to hand it to her; Ness had a good theory. The only flaw was the fact that Mrs. Laurent had confirmed James' death in the accident. Ness and I had already discussed this at length the night we'd told Charlie everything. If James had passed away the night of Bella and Edward's accident, then who was the man we'd tossed over the cliffs? And what about that asshat, Nahuel? I still hadn't ruled out his involvement either. I inwardly smirked at the image of him, writhing on the concrete sidewalk, clutching what was left of his manhood after Ness ax-kicked him in the balls.

"I saw his picture, Jake," Ness said, lowering her voice. "James wasn't the one you killed that night. This man had brown hair, not blond. And it was cut short, not long enough to pull back into a ponytail."

"Sometimes I wonder if you can read my mind." I laughed, and she smiled from ear to ear, wiping the tears from her chin with the back of her hand. My heart warmed just to see her smile again. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Her smile soon faded, and Ness leaned away from the table. "That's why I wanted to call Carlisle—to ask if he knew Victoria and if my dad was having an affair. He worked in the same hospital; word would've got around to him about the affair. Maybe there was someone else… someone who wanted to make sure I paid for Victoria's death, too."

"It's worth a try," I told her, standing up from the booth, and threw several dollars on the table to cover our check. "Come on. I think there's a payphone outside. I left my cell back in the room."

Without saying a word, Ness joined me, and we headed toward the phone booth just outside the small diner's entrance, her hand wrapped in mine. Once outside, the crisp night air nipped at the hollow of my neck, causing my hand to break contact with hers to pull the sides of my leather jacket closer together.

"You have his number?" I asked once we reached the payphone, handing Ness a few quarters from my jean pocket.

"Yeah, I have it memorized; my grandmother, Esme, and I used to talk all the time," Ness somberly replied, picking up the receiver and depositing the coins into the slot.

"And you don't talk anymore?" I nosily prodded.

"It's a long story," she answered with a sigh, shifting her attention to the phone, and pushed the numbered buttons to place her call.

I decided not to press the issue any further, leaning my back against the glass of the booth, and folded my arms over my chest. I looked off down the street as Ness waited for her grandfather to pick up on the other line, my eyes cautiously scanning our surroundings.

Seconds later, a beige-colored sedan pulled up to the curb, coming to rest almost parallel to the phone booth. It wasn't the familiar black Chevelle, but its sudden appearance seemed suspicious. My back went rigid, my right hand reaching immediately for the gun tucked into the waistband of my pants.

"Grandpa Carlisle? It's Ness."

The driver's side door opened slowly, making my heart thump at an erratic rhythm.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ness' voice paused. "Sure, Charlie's good, too. Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I wanted to ask if you knew someone…"

A dark figure dressed in a long, trench coat and fedora hat exited the car, sniffing the cool air around him. My grip tightened on the handle of the gun, freeing it from the confines of my jeans. I didn't know who the figure was, but I wasn't taking any chances either. I was prepared to shoot first and ask questions later.

"Victoria Laurent… did you know her?"

The tall figure turned and began to pace around hood of the car, coming closer to our position with every step. The only visible features I could make out in the moonlight were the tip of his nose and the silvery fog of his warm breath. I hid the gun behind my back and covered the entrance of the phone booth with my body, shielding Ness as best as I could. I didn't want to startle her with any sudden movements.

"No? Okay, thanks, Carlisle."

The figure halted, just as he was about to take a step onto the curb, and jerked his head toward the booth.

"No, no, just checking. Thanks again… tell her I love her, too."

I heard the click of the phone being fastened back into its cradle, not removing my eyes from the mysterious silhouette by the curb.

"Jacob Black?" the figure's gruff voice suddenly inquired. My former suspicions had been merited, but I didn't recognize the voice.

"Maybe. Who wants to know?" I said intimidatingly, puffing out my chest, my forefinger latching onto the trigger of the gun behind my back.

"What is it, Jake?" Ness pressed a hand to my shoulder. I heard a hitching breath in her throat as she realized we were not alone.

"So it _is_ you, Mr. Black." The figure stepped into the faint gleam of the streetlamp, his head angling upward. "You're just the man I needed to see."

**Attn: So I hope I didn't confuse you with this chapter. We now know that James didn't have blond hair; he was a brunette (as he was in the books). We also know that he wasn't the one Jacob murdered that night at the ice cream shop; he did in fact die in the accident involving her parents. In addition to this information, we know that the black car belonged to Victoria and that Mrs. Laurent never knew what happened to it after she was killed. Finally, we know that Victoria, Edward, and Carlisle all worked at the same hospital in Seattle. Do you think Ness' theory is correct or do you have a theory of your own? I'd love to hear it. And who's the mysterious man at the end needing to speak to Jacob? Find out next chapter. LOL Thanks so much for reading!**

**Also, just wanted to remind you that this story has been nominated for a Twilight All-Human FanFiction Award (twilightallhumanawards[dot]webs[dot]com/voting[dot]htm) in the category, "FanFiction You Couldn't Stop Reading." If you feel so inclined to vote, polls open on Monday, August 30th! Thanks so much for your support!**


	15. Chapter 15: Life Goes On

_A/N: Hey, everyone! I know it's been a LONG time since I've updated. Long story short, if you didn't see my note on my profile page, I've decided to stop writing fan fiction. It wasn't an easy decision, but I've been writing fan fiction for almost 18 months and I felt it was time to retire. I tend to let writing stress me out, and since I've stopped writing, I've been much healthier mentally. Thank you so much for your understanding and continued support of my stories. The PMs I've received over the past few weeks have made my day. The fact that I have so many caring readers is AMAZING. You guys are awesome! _

_That being said, I'm excited to bring you the final summative chapter of WTDK. Chapter 14 ended on a major cliffie, and I thought that you deserved to know the rest of the story. I've tried my best to answer all of your questions, but in case I left something out, please PM me and let me know. I'll try to add information as needed. _

_Again, thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart! Hope you enjoy the ending._

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**_Previously:_**

When we left off, we learned that James didn't have blond hair; he was a brunette (as he was in the books). We also knew that he wasn't the one Jacob murdered that night at the ice cream shop; he did in fact die in the accident involving her parents. In addition to this information, we know that the black car belonged to Victoria and that Mrs. Laurent never knew what happened to it after she was killed. Finally, we know that Victoria, Edward, and Carlisle all worked at the same hospital in Seattle prior to Victoria's death.

At the end of Chapter 14, Ness had just finished talking to Carlisle on a payphone outside the diner. Ness called her grandfather to find out if he knew Victoria Laurent, since she worked at the same hospital as him, and Carlisle answered that he didn't. Ness theorized that her father, Edward, had an affair with Victoria, and after she died, James sought revenge, killing her parents in a horrific car crash that also claimed his life. Jacob was then approached by a man in a trench coat, who had pulled up beside the phone booth in a beige-colored car.

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_"And if these are my parting words,_

_Grant me this, my last request:_

_Hold me here, until I sleep._

_If I burn, then I burn for you."_

_~Anberlin, "Cadence"_

_~.~.~.~_

**WHAT THE DEAD KNOW**

**Chapter 15: Life Goes On**

The man in the trench coat is Riley Biers, the private detective who Charlie had hired to track down Ness's stalker and find out the truth behind Edward and Bella's accident. Riley introduces himself to Ness and Jacob, informing him that Ness's ex-boyfriend, Nahuel, has gone missing from the University of Washington's campus. Ness's uncle, Jasper, had been keeping watch over Nahuel in Ness's absence (since he was suspicious of him), and somehow, he disappeared right under his nose. Riley and Charlie suspect that whoever is following Ness and Jacob had something to do with Nahuel's disappearance. In fear of Ness's safety, Charlie sent Riley, a former cop, to protect the couple.

The three of them (Ness, Jacob, and Riley) enter the diner and take a seat at the table, ordering more coffee and continuing their discussion on the matter. Ness notices how Riley watches her and can't help but blush at his admiring eyes. Riley is about 35 years old, but looks much younger, with short, blond hair and striking blue eyes. Ness mentally remarks that, besides Jacob, Riley is the most beautiful man she has ever seen. Riley is instantly smitten with Ness as well, but holds back his interest in her, knowing that she is with Jacob and the granddaughter of his client.

As the trio talk over coffee, Ness notices a figure dressed in black from head to toe out of the corner of her eye, sitting at the counter. She turns her head to get a better view, only to see the figure slip out the rear entrance of the diner. Riley notices the figure as well, and he and Jacob race out of the diner, chasing the figure down the dark street and down an alleyway, guns in hand. Riley and Jacob fear that this may be the stalker in disguise, trying to spy on them up close. Ness is left behind at the diner to worry over the safety of her lover and new friend without protection. She darts out of the diner, only to have a hand clasp over her mouth. She immediately faints, surrendering to a chemical (chloroform) on the cloth covering her mouth.

Jacob and Riley continue to chase the figure until it disappears into the familiar black Chevelle at the end of the alleyway. Unable to chase after the vehicle, Jacob and Riley then realize that they've left Ness by herself in the diner. Jacob is instantly worried, and they both race back to the diner, only to find that Ness is nowhere to be found.

Ness wakes in a dark room with only the light from several lanterns hanging on a far wall. Her muscles ache, and she realizes that her hands are bound from behind. Looking around the large, musty dungeon, she notices Nahuel, lying unconscious near the opposite wall. He is bound and gagged. It appears as if they have both been kidnapped. Scooting as best as she can over to her ex-lover, Ness removes the cloth around his mouth with her hands, which are still tied together behind her back.

Nahuel comes to and is instantly concerned about Ness's wellbeing. They share a reunion, and he apologizes for being so protective of her. Ness apologizes for kicking him in the balls when they were last together (LOL). Nahuel tells her that he was kidnapped from his dorm on campus by two figures cloaked in black. He could only hear their voices, but knew that there was a male and a female. He remembers being brought to the dungeon, but not much else after that. Ness tells him that a similar thing happened to her and also reveals to him the whole story as to what happened back in Forks. She tells him that she believes these people were the ones who murdered Angela and Ben and had something to do with her parents' death four years ago.

There is a moment of silence between them. Then, Ness breaks the silence and apologizes for treating him so badly after meeting Jacob. Nahuel says it was partly his fault; he ran away when he should have stayed and fought for what he loved. Ness smiles and tells him that she never stopped loving him. Nahuel says the same, but he knows that she deeply cares for Jacob. He can see the love in her eyes, but it's not for him (Nahuel). They share a brief, but passionate kiss. Ness mentally laments that it is their last, the final seal on a wonderful relationship. She hopes Nahuel will find someone to love in the future, someone who can give him her full heart, something she never could.

Ness diverts her attention from Nahuel's eyes and focuses on freeing him from his bindings. They are interrupted by someone entering the dungeon. Light footsteps approach their position. A young woman's menacing face comes into view. She has short, curly brown hair and blue eyes. Ness recognizes the face from the picture inside Mrs. Laurent's house, the one with all the dust caked atop it. Ness wondered before if the girl was Victoria's younger sister, but the girl before her appears to be about Ness's same age. In her hands, the girl holds a handgun, pointed toward them as she approaches.

Ness stands up to face her, asking who she is and why she brought her and Nahuel to this horrible place. The girl introduces herself as Bree Tanner-Bree _Volturi_ Tanner-with a cocky grin. Victoria and James were her parents. She says Ness's parents were responsible for her parents' deaths, and now Ness is going to pay for it.

The pieces of the puzzle begin to click together for Ness, but she is still dumbfounded as to how her parents could have been responsible for Victoria's death.

Bree begins to pace in front of them, saying that James was the brother of Caius Volturi, a powerful crime lord in the city of Seattle. James fell in love with Victoria when they were teenagers, but Caius never approved of their relationship, so he had Victoria murdered five years ago, making it look like a random killing. One night, after walking home from work, Victoria was found by a passerby in an alleyway; she had been raped and brutally beaten by an unknown assailant. The Good Samaritan rushed her to the University of Seattle's hospital where Edward Cullen was the attending ER doctor. Edward tirelessly worked over her, but couldn't save her. A later autopsy revealed that Victoria was with child at the time of her passing.

James never knew that Caius was responsible for her death; Caius showed James video evidence that Victoria had been having an affair with Edward before she was killed and that the child in her womb was their love child. They worked at the same hospital after all; the affair would have been just too easy. With this information, James blamed Ness's father for letting her die that night in fear that his reputation as a doctor and faithful husband would have been ruined. He believed Edward knew about the pregnancy all along and maybe was responsible for her attack in the first place. In a drunken rage, James plowed his car headfirst into Edward and Bella's car on that fateful night, killing them instantly. In James's mind, Edward _and _hiswife deserved to die for taking _his_ wife away from him in more ways than one.

Ness is shocked by what Bree reveals, but still wonders why Bree would have it out for her when Caius was the one who murdered Victoria in the first place.

Another figure steps into the light, revealing himself as Demetri, Caius's trusted servant for several many years. Bree and Demetri share a deeply-passionate kiss much to Ness's disgust.

When they finally break apart, Demetri says that Jacob did the deed for them. Caius was the one who attacked Ness outside the ice cream shop and the Carver Diner. Bree reveals that she gained Caius's trust after her parents' death and urged him to murder Ness, the daughter of the man who had ultimately been responsible for her James's death. Caius was so distraught over his brother's death, which he ultimately caused, and never knew that James would be so upset to commit such a heinous crime. He was easily duped by his niece's conniving ways.

Disguised as James to heighten Ness's fright and suffering, Caius attacked Ness both times as Bree watched in the distance from the safety of her mother's black Chevelle. Bree had all intentions of incriminating Caius for Ness's murder in the end, finally repaying him for the years of heartache and pain she'd endured without her mother and father in her life. Little did she know that Jacob would complicate things and murder Caius unintentionally.

But there was one deed left undone: Ness was still alive.

Bree's plan then became to incriminate Jacob for murder to get him out of the way, so that she and her partner and lover, Demetri, could get to Ness without him interfering. So, they murdered Angela Weber (Jacob's former lover) and Ben Cheney, planting evidence that Jacob committed the crime in a jealous rage. With Jacob out of the picture, Bree set her sights on Ness. However, with Ness having a cop for a grandfather (Charlie) and an ex-military man for an uncle (Jasper), Bree found herself at a standstill and unable to get to Ness. And then, lack of conclusive evidence vindicated Jacob and soon he was released from jail, only to run back to find Ness in Seattle.

Nahuel then became the likely victim to target next. So, Bree kidnapped him with the intention of brainwashing him into killing Ness for leaving him for another man (Jacob). However, when Ness was left unprotected at the diner in Seattle that night, Bree just couldn't resist—she had to have her for herself.

(Back to the dungeon)

Bree then points the gun in Ness's direction. "I've been waiting for this moment for _so_ long."

Nahuel then jumps to his feet and tries to protect Ness, but ends up getting shot by Bree. He falls to the ground as Ness's screams and Bree's evil laughs fill the entire torch-lit dungeon. Bree then turns to Ness.

This brings us to the prologue:

_"The light from the flames licked around the face of the enemy, her pale blue eyes boring into me like a dagger into the very heart of innocence. I knew this was the last time, the last chance to breathe, before my time on this earth would be said and done. Everything we had worked for, every action over the past few weeks, had led to this very moment. As she raised the gun steadily in the air, I braced myself, gladly welcoming death, for my spirit would soon join the man I loved (Nahuel) in eternity. I heard her finger lightly squeeze the trigger, and felt my heart gloomily beat its last…"_

Just then Jacob and Riley storm into the dungeon. Bree had made one fatal mistake earlier; she left the Chevelle parked outside the abandoned building. It didn't take Jacob or Riley long to find Ness's whereabouts. Unbeknownst to Bree and Demetri, Riley had been investigating the Volturi family's possible involvement in the situation since James was the drunk driver who had killed Bella and Edward. The building had belonged to the Volturi family for years, an easily discovered hideout.

Riley is taken down by a bullet from Demetri's gun, but he is still alive. Bree grabs Ness by the neck and holds her in front of her body, the gun held to her head, taunting Jacob to take his best shot. Jacob doesn't know what to do; if he shoots, he risks hurting the woman he loves and losing his life as well. But if he does nothing, Ness will end up dying anyway.

Bree taunts Jacob, saying that she watched them make love those countless times, wishing Ness was screaming out in pain instead of in pleasure. It was Bree who put the murder weapon in Ness's truck, causing her to faint that night. She got a kick out of watching Ness suffer; it was like heroin to her. Jacob hesitates, anger building in his veins, as he takes in the terrified look on Ness's face. He looks back to Demetri, who is aiming his gun at him as well.

Just as all hope seems lost, Nahuel bravely comes onto his feet and rams his head into the back of Bree's, causing her to stumble to the ground. Ness is freed and runs toward Jacob who immediately fires his gun at Demetri as he is caught off guard by Bree's fall. Demetri falls dead to the ground, but Bree suddenly comes to, rising back to her feet, gun in hand.

Bree points her gun at Jacob and Ness, but is sent to her grave by Riley, who has revived and fired his gun without hesitation at the assailant.

Jacob gives Riley a look of gratitude as he releases Ness's hands from the bindings, and Riley nods, slumping back against the wall of the dungeon and gripping his injured arm now streaming with blood. Once freed, Ness embraces Jacob, crying into his shoulder, the floodgate of emotions hitting her all at that moment. Nahuel walks up to them, clutching his side where he was shot by Bree, and the two men share an unspoken truce.

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_One Month Later_

Ness and Jacob stand over the graves of her parents, Bella and Edward. Ness laments to Jacob on how she can't believe that her father would ever have an affair on her mother. She clutches the locket around her neck that her parents once gave her. Her worst fears from before were confirmed. Jacob tells her that Edward loved her mother more than any other woman in the world. Caius must have been mistaken; it couldn't have been Edward.

Riley speaks up from behind them, his arm in a sling: "It was all a lie." He apologizes for startling them, and then walks up to meet them at the gravesite. Riley reveals that Caius made up the whole story and fabricated the evidence, so that James would never know that he was the one who had Victoria killed. Caius never knew that James would take it so far as to murder Edward and Bella. They were just innocent victims; Edward happened to be the attending ER physician that night at the hospital and a co-worker of Victoria's—an easy target.

Relieved, but still unsure, Ness asks how Riley knew this information. Riley says with a chuckle that it's what he does for a living, and Jacob thanks him. Riley then excuses himself and leaves Jacob and Ness alone at her parents' grave. Riley looks back, marveling on how lucky Jacob is to have such a beautiful, sexy woman in his life. He silently wishes them well, despite feeling an overwhelming attraction to Ness.

Ness is left in tears over Riley's revelation, falling to the ground in front of her parents' gravestones. Jacob embraces her and, after several painful moments of listening to her sobs, whispers, "They loved you above all else, Ness. More than their own lives. Know that."

"I know they did. Thanks, Jake," Ness whispers as the wind tosses her copper curls in its gentle breeze. She laughs with a sniffle. "I sort of know how that feels."

"What do you mean?" Jacob cups her face with his hands, looking into her eyes searchingly.

"Well…" Ness laughs again, smiling amongst the tears glistening on her cheeks. "You were right—you should've taken better precautions that night."

Jacob's mouth drops wide open, but soon forms a knowing smile. "Well, Charlie's _definitely_ going to kill me now."

He kisses her with an ever-increasing fervor, his heart filling with joy at the news that he is now to be a father with the woman he's waited for all of his life. A series of tragic and rather unfortunate events have brought Jacob and Ness together, but one hope still remains. Life goes on...and brings new life with it.

**THE END**

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_Questions from readers…_

_-_What's the deal with Nahuel?

_Nahuel was never the bad guy; he loved Ness very much and that caused him to act very irrationally. He did survive the attack from Bree. _

-Riley…really?

_I might be in the minority, but I've always found Riley's character in Eclipse fascinating. The movie and Bree's story only further increased my interest in him; therefore, I included him as a good guy in this story and gave him a little crush on Ness. LOL A little secret fantasy of mine: Jacob and Riley vying for the same girl's affections. Mmhmm, you know that's right._

-Whatever happened to Caius's body?

_Of course, his body would eventually be found. That's a tricky situation because Jacob killed him and then got rid of the body without going to the authorities. Charlie and Riley could possibly be able to vindicate Jacob here, so I'm sticking with that scenario. I don't want Jacob to go back to jail, especially with a baby on the way! LOL_

-Was Ness's vision of James/Caius at the top of the stairs real?

_Nope, it was a figment of her imagination/guilty conscience._

-Was Charlie really spooked by raccoons the night Jacob slept over or was there something else out there?

_Good question! Bree said that she watched Jacob and Ness have sex (eww), so it could have possibly been her lurking outside…along with the raccoons._

-Did Mrs. Laurent (Victoria's mom) know that Caius was behind Victoria's murder?

_No, she believed as the authorities did that it was a random attack. Caius was very good at covering his tracks. I'm not sure if Mrs. Laurent knew about Caius's dark past either._

-Did Mrs. Laurent know about Bree? Who was in the missing picture?

_Ness noticed a picture of a younger Bree in the upstairs hallway of Mrs. Laurent's house, so she did know about her granddaughter. One can assume from the way Mrs. Laurent talked about Victoria that they must've had a falling out and she wasn't allowed to see Bree. Bree didn't even know that her grandmother was still alive, which is unfortunate. As for the missing picture, it was a family portrait of Victoria, James, and Bree. Mrs. Laurent found it too difficult to keep on display for her to have to see every day._

-Why did James/Caius have a picture of Ness in his wallet?

_Caius had James's wallet tucked into his jeans to keep up the charade that he was James, back from the grave to make Ness pay for his wife's death. Bree's plan was to ultimately frighten and mentally torture Ness before she had her killed._

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_Thank you so much for taking the time to read this final chapter. I hope I did the story justice and that you weren't disappointed with just a summary. I toyed around with several different scenarios before finally deciding on this ending. Please, please let me know if I missed anything. It's been awhile since I've written on this story, and I tend to forget things. LOL Hope you enjoyed it. :)_

_Special thanks to Overprotective(dot)Fool/Nik/AnEnduringHope (she goes by many names, lol) for her overall awesomeness and help with this chapter. Love you, my telepathic twin!_

_Love you all, _

_DAZZY xxoo_


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